Got this question from my student Kaitlyn recently:
is there a quick way to identify the conclusion and differentiate between sufficient and necessary conditions?
YES!
Why reinvent the wheel every time you look at a question when you could just find out the most important "indicator words" and use them to help you tell the difference between things like:
* necessary and sufficient conditions
* evidence and conclusion
* moderate vs. extreme language
* positive, neutral, and negative viewpoints and tones
* varying degrees of certainty
* different types of LSAT questions
*** These are concepts that cut across ALL sections of the LSAT! ***
I can't cover ALLLLLLL of those in one article - that'd be way too much, so today, I'm just going to answer Kaitlyn's question directly, then share the ultimate LSAT vocabulary resource with you.
Here's how to tell the difference between evidence and conclusion, and between sufficient and necessary conditions:
evidence: since, because, after all
conclusion: thus, therefore
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sufficient: if, when, all, every
necessary: then, only
Those are nice to have....
But you probably knew all of them! It's when they use less common indicator words that you get confused.
So here's even more (like, WAY more):
Evidence:
after all, as indicated by, because, due to, follows, for, for example, for instance, for the reason that, given that, in that, owing to, since, the reason being
Conclusion:
accordingly, as a result, as such, clearly, consequently, demonstrates, establishes, for this reason, hence, it follows that, must be that, shows that, so, thus, therefore
************************************************************************************************************
Sufficient (before the arrow):
All, any, as long as, each, every, if, in order to, people who, the only, to, to be, when, whenever, whichever, whoever
Necessary (after the arrow):
depends upon, essential, must, need, only, only if, only when, requires, then
If this sort of thing is standing in the way between you and total LSAT domination, you're not alone. The LSAT LOOOOOVESSS to confuse us with tricky language.
And it gets even harder than the words above, which are used pretty much the way you'd expect, if you really think about it.
Why ARE common LSAT “vocabulary words” so confusing?
Because many of them aren’t used in the way you’d expect!
Some words have multiple definitions - the primary definitions, as they're commonly used, and less common definitions (secondary or tertiary definitions).
You might find you don't know these less common meanings of words like "qualify" and “consistent” and you might find you don't know the meaning of words like "repudiate."
Most often, LSAT vocabulary is confusing because they’re using certain words to mean their LITERAL definition in “logic land.” What I mean by that is, the LSAT uses these words the way a philosopher or logician would use them - NOT the way we use them in everyday life.
Take, for example, the word "qualify."
We typically think of this as meaning, “to fulfill the conditions necessary to get something.”
For example, “I qualified for a scholarship to law school because I got a high LSAT score."
But, on the LSAT, it means, “to restrict or limit the scope of a claim.”
For example, “Everyone loves to eat plain cheese pizza.” is an extreme claim.
“Everyone loves to eat plain cheese pizza - except people who lactose-intolerant or gluten-free” is qualified (meaning it’s made more moderate) by the exception in the second half of the sentence.
To help you better understand annoying words like "qualify" and all the common indicator words, I've created the ULTIMATE guide to LSAT vocabulary:
For each major concept, I've included similar words/synonyms grouped together to make them easier to understand.
And I cover the words with multiple definitions where they're used in a way you might not expect.
How did I do all this?
It was easy (NOT):
1.) I went through EVERY LSAT PrepTest ever released and scanned for words associated with each of the major concepts that appears on the LSAT. I also looked for the words that most often confuse students due to the "tricky" ways they're used.
2.) Then, I wrote the LSAT Vocabulary Builder and sent copies to all the students in my courses to get their feedback and ideas for improvement.
3.) Finally, I released it to the general public (who gave me even MORE feedback).
Since then, thousands of students have used the lessons in the LSAT Vocabulary Builder to improve their scores.
The LSAT Vocabulary Builder is for you:
* if you're looking to improve your LSAT vocabulary skills.
* if you're an international student or non-native speaker.
* if you're a re-entering adult student and it's been years since you've attempted university-level coursework.
* if you want to better understand just what the heck the LSAT is saying.
Click here to get your copy of the LSAT Vocabulary Builder if you haven't already ---->
Very truly yours,
Steve "LSAT vocabulary master" Schwartz
P.S. If you’re having second thoughts about buying this...I offer a full 30-day money-back guarantee. If FOR ANY REASON you don’t like the LSAT Vocabulary Builder, just let me know, and I'll give you back all your money the very next day.
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