November 2018 LSAT Section 1 Question 19

Researcher: In an experiment, 500 families were given a medical self-help book, and 500 similar families were not. Ov...

AndrewArabie on May 24, 2023

I hate these types of answer choices

The explanation for the correct answer was one of my two anticipations. But whenever the answer choices speak in broad generalities, I have to sift through half a dozen concepts presented in the stimulus to see if any combination will fit into that answer choice. For instance, which states of affairs are we talking about? Having vs. not having the book; general health of the families involved before the study etc. Which effects are we talking about? Health improving or doctors visits reducing? Which combinations of these concepts are applied to the answer choice? Its so frustrating when I have the right anticipation but I can't untangle the answer choice or I'm afraid that I'm forcing concepts into an answer choice when the answer choice isn't referring to those concepts. How do you deal with this problem?

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Emil-Kunkin on May 26, 2023

Agreed! This is indeed one of my least favorite questions, and I generally detest answer choices that are written in abstract general language.

I wish I had some magic wand for these questions, but it sounds like you are already doing the right thing more or less. The key is to tie the abstract terms in the answer choice into the concrete things in the passage. Here we have two different things that could cause an outcome in the answer choice, so I would go back to the passage and see what the effect is (fewer visits) and what the possible causes were. (Better health, and the book). That said, that is still a time consuming and confusing process, but it's one in which specificity and clarity of thinking are essential.

AndrewArabie on May 26, 2023

Thank you Emil. I'll just relentlessly practice these