@sharpen7 you ALWAYS want to write the contrapositive.
Make it a habit.
Hope that helps! Please let us know if you have any other questions.
thetrinabaileyDecember 7, 2017
Why is making it habit beneficial?
sharpen7February 21, 2018
What makes the first sentence a general principle? I get confused between when to diagram PR for principle or P for premise...how can I tell the difference?
sharpen7February 21, 2018
Is the answer to my question that PR is general ex: "people who" and Premise is specific ie...Gerald?
sharpen7February 22, 2018
I googled principal vs. premise and it says: "A principle is a doctrine or belief that serves as the basis for a system of belief or action. It's similar to a premise, but is more general."
This is the entry for principle from a dictionary : a belief or idea on which a set of laws for doing it is based and premise : a statement and idea that you accept as true and use as a base for developing other ideas.
A premise is a statement that you assume is true for the purpose of doing something else, such as constructing an argument or planning a course of action. A premise can be either a factual assertion ("The sky is blue") or a subjective statement or opinion ("The Beatles were the greatest band of all time").
A premise is a kind of shortcut that lets you avoid doing extra work and concentrate on the task that's in front of you: if you take as a premise that the sky is blue, you can act on that without having to prove that the sky is blue. Of course, it's possible for a premise to be factually incorrect. If your premise is that the sky is green, and you take actions or construct arguments that assume the sky is green, you're going to run into trouble.
MehranFebruary 23, 2018
@thetrinabailey because the contrapositive is far more likely to be tested since it is one additional step.
Hope that helps! Please let us know if you have any other questions.
MehranFebruary 23, 2018
@sharpen7 a general principle is a conditional statement that applies generally. A principle can be a premise as well so whether you use "PR" or "P" is completely irrelevant. It will have absolutely no bearing on your application.
These concepts are discussed in detail in the S & N video lesson.
Hope that helps! Please let us know if you have any other questions.
jennycepedaMay 15, 2018
So we need diagram always on LR questions?
MehranMay 21, 2018
Hi @jennycepeda, thanks for your post. No, you do not always need to diagram on every Logical Reasoning question. On those questions that involve formal logic, however, many students find that their comprehension and accuracy improve significantly if they are able to correctly and efficiently diagram the given premise(s) and conclusion (if any). Diagramming formal logic allows you to quickly discern missing premises or other gaps in the logic; to identify logical flaws (such as incorrect reversals or incorrect negations); and/or to develop transitive arguments by linking concepts.
At first, accurate diagramming can slow you down, but with practice, it likely will speed you up.
Hope this helps.
niki-dowlatshahiOctober 7, 2018
Amanda seems to have trouble staying on point;
this is an LSAT review course, not to be confused with an english lit.
Here's some advice Amanda; why don't you wait until you go to law school, assuming you find time to take and pass the LSAT without too much diversion to google word searches, and then come lecture us on "premise" and Principle. Until then, Mehran - the HARVARD JD has the floor - and we are all here to learn from him and the way he teaches this methodology of LSAT code breaking.
