LR-Snippets-by-Family-1 - Reading, Judging, Weaken, Strengthen

Sep 2, 2026

Materials organize Logical Reasoning practice by “family” of question types, focusing on how to read stimuli, predict answer choices, and judge whether arguments contain flawed assumptions, missing links, reversed or negated logic, and unproven claims. It provides structured guidance for countering anti-conclusions with conditional logic, causal alternate explanations, comparisons, and recommendations, along with criteria to evaluate descriptive truth, objectionability, and impact on evidence strength.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages5

Reading Time13 min

AccessFree to download

Reading Stimulus

Be the Anti-Conclusion's Lawyer

Look for Missing Links/Ideas

Find Conclusion vs. Evidence

Judging Answers

Descriptive Truth and Objectionability

Needed Truth for the Argument to Work

Impact on Argument Strength

Selecting Correct vs. Wrong Answers

Correct Reasoning Moves

Common Failure Patterns

Strategy by Question Rank

Necessary Assumption

Weaken

Strengthen

Assumption/Objection Family Inference Family Paradox Island | rank
Flaw
1st | READING STIMULUS
Be the Anti-Conclusion's Lawyer
Read like a skeptic!You have to argue
with this person.Find an entry point.Can
you call out an illegal move,spot an
assumption or argue the anti-conclusion?
SEE THIS?CONSIDER THIS:
conditional logic Nec/Suff (reversals/negations)
rebuttal arg Ad Hom,Unproven/False
copycat ideas Sampling,Part/Whole
causal conclusion Alternate Explanations
recommendations Overlooked Downsides
comparisons Overlooked Differences | JUDGING ANSWERS
1.Is this descriptively true?
2.If so,is it objectionable?
"Takes for granted that X…."
“Presumes Xw/o justification”
"Fails to establish that X.."
Did we NEED to assume X?
“Fails to consider that Y.….”
"Overlooks possibility that Y.…"
If true,would Y WEAKEN?
“InfersY on the basis of X”
"Takes for granted if X then Y"
“Fails to consider even if X,~Y”
Does X match Ev.and Y Conc.? | WRONG ANSWERS
Not True they didn't assume that/
they didn't fail to consider that(very
rare)/they didn't conclude that/they
didn't have evidence like that/they
didn't make that reasoning move.
Not Objectionable that idea is
irrelevant so no need to consider it/
that description is true but that's not a
reasoning problem/that assumption
is totally reasonable(very rare).
RIGHT ANSWERS
-call out assumptions
present reasonable objections
-describe faulty reasoning moves | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | ~40%of them commit one of the
STIMULUS
Famous Flaws.60%commit
arguments,reasoning
unique flaws.
PREDICT ANSWER?
Very important to try to predict an
answer.Keep analyzing until you
Medium High
can articulate a flaw,but stay
flexible while reading the answers.
STEM KEYWORDS
The argument is most vulnerable to
vulnerable to criticism,
criticism because it
flawed,questionable | | | | | rank
Necessary Assumption
2nd | READING STIMULUS
Look for Missing Links/Ideas
If there's conditional logic or a math-y feel:
-Is there a New Concept in the Conclusion &
what's its closest match in the Evidence?
-Is there a Term Shift,assumed similarity,or
untriggered conditional in the Evidence?
Spot Objections to Neutralize
If arg.sounds pretty good,Anti-Conclusion!
Causal-Alternate explanations
Plan-Possible downsides
Comparison-Crucial differences | JUDGING ANSWERS
-Does this need to be true for
the argument to work?
-IfI negate this,does it weaken
the arg?(don't use Neg Test on
conditional answers)
-Lean away from strong
wording and new ideas.
-Lean towards familiar ideas
and answers that rule out an
idea using the word “not”(drop
the'not',does it weaken?) | WRONG ANSWERS
Too Strong most/the only =red flags!
Out of Scope unmentioned ideas not
relevant to conclusion
Irrelevant Comparison/
Causal Relationship/Quality
Weakens appealing but opposite!
Reversed/Negated Logic right
ideas,wrong order
RIGHT ANSWERS
-Missing Links connect ideas
-Defenders rule out objections | | STIMULUS
1/2 test a missing link or fact
internal to arg,and 1/2 test a new
arguments,reasoning
consideration that could weaken.
For missing links /facts,we'll have
PREDICT ANSWER?
a very specific prediction,but for
Medium
new considerations,a fuzzy idea.
STEM KEYWORDS
Which of the following in an
assumption,assuming
assumption on which the argument
depends?
depends/relies/must | | | | | rank
Weaken
3rd | READING STIMULUS
Find Conclusion vs.Evidence
If there's a Curious Fact,anticipate a
c

FAQs

How should a test-taker read the stimulus to respond effectively?

They should identify conclusion versus evidence, find entry points for assumptions or illegal moves, and use conditional logic concepts like reversals and negations to anticipate rebuttals and flaws.

What are the key criteria for judging whether an answer is correct?

Answers are judged by descriptive truth and whether they are objectionable, whether the argument depends on the missing idea, and whether the answer meaningfully weakens or undermines the argument through impact on evidence.

What common mistakes lead to wrong answers in these logical reasoning families?

Wrong choices often involve being too strong or out of scope, using irrelevant comparisons or causal relationships, reversing logic or reasoning order, or addressing an idea that has no impact on the stated conclusion.

Sep 2, 2026

Upload by Emma Mercer