The brains of identical twins are genetically identical. When only one of a pair of identical twins is a schizophreni...

mkesh March 30, 2020

Strengthen w/ Necessary

Hi! Thank you for the explanations on the questions, they are very helpful. I seem to notice a pattern with myself where I struggle a lot with the question type in choosing the correct answer, but when I read the explanation I am able to go back and articulate why the answer is correct. This definitely won't be helpful on the test, unfortunately. I know this is a very common question type so I was hoping to ask if there is an approximate percent or any approximation I can get as to how often this 'strengthen w/ necessary' premise question type appears on LR. I'm not sure if a number or anything can even be put to it but any guidance or advice would help a lot Thanks again!

Create a free account to read and take part in forum discussions.

Already have an account? log in

SamA April 3, 2020

Hello @mkesh,

I don't have data to support this, but in my experience, I would expect 2-3 strengthen with necessary assumption questions per section. In other words, they are going to have a significant impact on your score. It is worth it to spend time practicing these. I think this is one of the most difficult question types, but if you can answer them consistently, it shows that you have a really good understanding of argument structure. It will help you on other question types as well.

These can be complicated, so I'll try to simplify it somewhat. The key is to ask yourself, "Does the argument need this to be true?" This is the purpose of the negation test. If the argument can survive without it, then it is not the right answer.

A frequent type of wrong answer is one that sounds good, but is too strong. It might strengthen the argument, or even guarantee the conclusion. But that is not what we are looking for. Not only must it strengthen, it must also be necessary.

Here is a common trick that they try to pull. They will use two different terms as if they are the same thing, and they think that you won't notice. You have to question these equivalences. Look for this sort of gap in the argument, and find an assumption that fills the gap.