LSAT Assumption Questions - Tricks to Solve By Expert

Reader's Digest  - Welcome to our comprehensive guide on mastering LSAT Assumption Questions! Prepare to unveil clever tricks and strategies that empower you to tackle these logical challenges easily and confidently.

🔎 Picture this: You're faced with an LSAT Assumption Question, and the clock is ticking. Fear not, for we are here to equip you with the strategies that will give you the edge in cracking these mind-boggling puzzles.

These assumption questions often hide in plain sight, tempting you to make hasty assumptions. But worry not, we'll teach you how to navigate through the maze and find that golden nugget of truth buried within the options.

Our expert advice will guide you through the art of identifying unstated premises, revealing the hidden assumptions that form the foundation of the arguments.

Maximize your performance with the ultimate LSAT Logical Reasoning strategy: never leave a question behind! Tackle these questions efficiently, and don't hesitate to skip the toughest ones.

Finish all questions within 35 minutes to capture every point and avoid losing out due to distractions from earlier questions.

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Understanding LSAT Assumption Questions

• Before diving into the tricks, it is essential to understand the nature of assumption questions.
• These questions evaluate your ability to identify underlying assumptions supporting a given argument.
• You can determine the argument's strength or weakness by identifying these assumptions and answering the questions accordingly.

Top Tips for LSAT Assumption Questions

Now that we know the purpose of assumption questions let's delve into the top tricks and strategies to help you confidently tackle this section.

Identify the Conclusion and Premises

• The first step is to pinpoint the conclusion and premises of the argument.
• Remember that the conclusion is the main point the author wants to prove, while the premises provide evidence supporting the conclusion.
• This identification is vital for isolating the underlying assumptions.

Spot the Gap

• Once you've identified the conclusion and premises, look for gaps between them.
• These gaps represent the assumptions the argument relies on to be valid. By detecting these gaps, you can better understand the unstated assumptions the argument needs to be successful.

Use Negation Technique

• An essential trick for LSAT assumption questions is the negation technique.
• You can find the correct assumption by negating the answer choices and determining if the argument falls apart.
• If the argument fails when an answer choice is negated, that choice is likely the necessary assumption.

Be Aware of Common Assumption Patterns

• Familiarize yourself with common assumption patterns, such as cause and effect, correlation, and generalization.
• By recognizing these patterns, you can predict the potential assumptions the argument may require.

Eliminate Unrelated Answer Choices

• Lastly, eliminate answer choices that are irrelevant or unrelated to the argument.
• Focusing on the relevant answer choices can streamline your decision-making process and save valuable time during the test.

Practice Makes Perfect

• As with any test, practice is crucial for mastering LSAT assumption questions.
• Use these tricks and strategies to guide your study, and consider seeking additional resources, such as prep courses or tutoring, to further sharpen your skills.
• With determination and persistence, you'll be well on your way to acing the LSAT and gaining admission to your dream law school.

Super Tricks to Solve LSAT Logical Assumption Questions

Here are some general tips and tricks which can help you deal with LSAT logical reasoning questions:

Basic Assumption 

Logical reasoning’s bread and butter is evidence + assumption = conclusion. Remember to utilise keywords and critical thinking to get the answer FIRST. Then, ignoring any filler or background, ask, "Why is the conclusion true?" and identify the evidence. The assumption is absent, which the author takes for granted when deriving his or her conclusion from the data presented. 

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Strengthening & Weakening the Argument Type 

Remember to distinguish between Sufficient Assumption and Necessary Assumption issues. Once again, we divide the input into conclusion and evidence and then forecast the assumption.

You must corroborate the assumption in the right answer options to strengthen the argument– remember, you do not have to prove the conclusion is true, only make it more plausible. 

Weakening questions reject the author's assumption in the right response, making the conclusion less plausible (again, no need to refute it). 

The most important things to remember are to not go beyond the boundaries of the argument and not to call evidence into question– evidence is recognized as fact on the LSAT. 

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Flaw or Fault-based Questions 

The fault is the last assumption of the family question type. 

All we do is locate the conclusion and proof in the stimulus and identify the author's erroneous assumption. 

The main difference between a flaw and an assumption question is that the flaws are usually described in general terms in the answer choices. If the answer choices become confusing, try laying out the specifics of the argument against the general description in the answer choice; if something doesn't fit, it's not the right answer. 

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Inference-based Questions 

The most common form of inquiry that does not require an argument-based stimulus. The most important thing to remember while answering inference questions is that the stimulus is not an argument with a conclusion and evidence. Thus, we must inventory the data to discover the solution. 

Because the response to a typical inference inquiry must be TRUE based on the stimulus data, you should ask one question for each answer option: does it have to be true? Return to the stimulus whenever needed, and watch for formal logic.

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Principle-based Questions 

The most frequent method for answering a principle question is identifying the principle, which means we have a particular argument in the stimulus and a general principle in the response choice. 

We break down the specific argument (conclusion/evidence/assumption) and then search the response possibilities for a broader version of the assumption. 

We perceive a general principle in the stimulus and specific instances in the replies in the second sub-group, applying the concept. Pay close attention to the question stem since it may ask for a case that either follows OR contradicts the concept. Finally, we have questions about parallel principles. 

These are uncommon because they include both preceding activities: the stimulus has a specific argument, and the answer options contain specific arguments. 

We must search the response alternatives for an argument that follows the same basic principle as the stimulus. Identify where the principle is in any principle question: answer option, stimulus, or just extracted from an argument. 

Method of Argument/Role of a Statement/Point at Issue/Main Point/Paradox/Parallel Reasoning 

When taken separately, the lesser question types aren't as essential to your score as the major hitters described above, but combined, they still carry a punch. 

Ensure you're familiar with them and know what to do if you encounter one. Timed section work is an excellent way to improve at this.