154 lines
4.5 KiB
Markdown
154 lines
4.5 KiB
Markdown
# 🐝 LSAT Logical Reasoning Cheat Sheet
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*The Burton Method Quick Reference*
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---
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## 📦 Every LR Question Has Two Parts
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| Part | What It Is | Your Job |
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|------|-----------|----------|
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| **Stimulus** | The short paragraph | Find the conclusion + premises |
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| **Question Stem** | The actual task | Know what they're asking |
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---
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## 🎯 Question Type Quick Guide
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### MUST-KNOW QUESTION TYPES
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| Type | What They Ask | Your Move |
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|------|--------------|-----------|
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| **Main Conclusion** | "What's the main point?" | Find the claim everything supports |
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| **Weaken** | "What hurts this argument?" | Attack the assumption |
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| **Strengthen** | "What helps this argument?" | Support the assumption |
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| **Flaw** | "What's wrong with this logic?" | Name the reasoning error |
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| **Assumption** | "What must be true for this to work?" | Find the hidden link |
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| **Inference** | "What must be true based on this?" | Stay close to the text |
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| **Parallel** | "Which argument uses similar logic?" | Match the structure |
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---
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## 🧠 The "Just Because… Doesn't Mean…" Test
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Use this for EVERY argument:
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> "Just because [PREMISE]… doesn't mean [CONCLUSION]."
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If that sounds like a fair criticism → you've found the assumption.
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**Example:**
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- Premise: "Coffee drinkers perform better on tests"
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- Conclusion: "Law students should drink more coffee"
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- Test: "Just because coffee helps test performance… doesn't mean it'll help law students specifically."
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---
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## 🔍 Conclusion Indicator Words
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These usually signal the main point:
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| Word | Example |
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|------|---------|
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| Therefore | "Therefore, we should invest." |
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| Thus | "Thus, the plan will fail." |
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| So | "So it follows that..." |
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| Hence | "Hence the conclusion." |
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| Consequently | "Consequently, action is needed." |
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| It follows that | "It follows that X is true." |
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---
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## 🔍 Premise Indicator Words
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These usually signal support:
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| Word | Example |
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|------|---------|
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| Because | "Because sales dropped..." |
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| Since | "Since the data shows..." |
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| Given that | "Given that X occurred..." |
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| For | "For the study revealed..." |
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| Due to | "Due to budget cuts..." |
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| As | "As the evidence indicates..." |
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---
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## ⚠️ Common Flaw Types
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| Flaw | Plain English |
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|------|--------------|
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| **Causation ≠ Correlation** | "They happened together, so one caused the other" (nope) |
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| **Overgeneralization** | "It worked once, so it always will" (nope) |
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| **Necessary vs Sufficient** | "It's required, so it's enough" (nope) |
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| **Ad Hominem** | "You're wrong because you're biased" (attacks person, not argument) |
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| **Circular Reasoning** | "It's true because it's true" (no real support) |
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| **Sampling Error** | "This small group did X, so everyone does" (unrepresentative) |
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| **Equivocation** | "This word means one thing here, another there" (slippery terms) |
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---
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## ⏱️ Timing Strategy
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| Phase | Time | Goal |
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|-------|------|------|
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| **Questions 1-10** | ~12 min | Bank time (these are easier) |
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| **Questions 11-20** | ~15 min | Stay steady |
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| **Questions 21-26** | ~8 min | Don't panic, make educated guesses |
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**Rule:** Never spend more than 2 minutes on one question. Flag and move.
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---
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## 🎯 Burton Power Moves
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### For Weaken Questions:
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1. Find the conclusion
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2. Identify the assumption
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3. Predict: "What could make this less likely?"
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4. Match your prediction
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### For Strengthen Questions:
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1. Find the conclusion
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2. Identify the assumption
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3. Predict: "What could make this MORE likely?"
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4. Match your prediction
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### For Flaw Questions:
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1. Find the conclusion
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2. Spot the logical leap
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3. Name it in plain English
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4. Match your description (even if wording is abstract)
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### For Inference Questions:
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1. NO conclusion to find — just facts
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2. Stay CLOSE to the text
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3. Avoid extreme answers ("always", "never", "all")
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4. The right answer MUST be true
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---
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## 🚫 Wrong Answer Traps
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| Trap | What It Looks Like |
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|------|-------------------|
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| **Too Extreme** | "All," "never," "always," "impossible" |
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| **Out of Scope** | Introduces new concepts not in stimulus |
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| **Reverses Logic** | Gets the direction backwards |
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| **Irrelevant** | True statement, but doesn't answer the question |
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| **Half Right** | Starts good, ends bad |
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---
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## 💡 When You're Stuck
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1. Re-read the question stem — make sure you know the TASK
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2. Re-identify the conclusion — are you sure?
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3. Eliminate obviously wrong answers
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4. Between two answers? Pick the one closer to the stimulus
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5. Flag and move — don't waste time
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---
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*© 2026 The Burton Method | burtonmethod.com*
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