Main Conclusion Questions | Logical Reasoning

When a Main Conclusion question appears in the Logical Reasoning (LR) section of the LSAT, it usually looks something like this:

• "Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main conclusion of the argument?"
• "Which one of the following most accurately expresses the conclusion of the journalist's argument?"
• "Which one of the following most accurately restates the main point of the passage?"
• "The main point of the argument is that"

LSAT neophytes often (mistakenly) think these Main Conclusion questions are asking them to deduce or infer the main conclusion from the vignette. But not so much. Rather, Main Conclusion questions are usually asking you to find the main point within the vignette - much like the way you are asked to find Waldo within a sea of other people, except in this case Waldo = Main Point and sea of other people = Premises. 

Conclusion indicators --- therefore; thus; hence; clearly; so; in conclusion; consequently; and as a result --- can help you find the main point. But don't rely on them too much because LSAT makers ain't gonna make it that easy. Often times, in Main Conclusion questions the segment of the vignette introduced by conclusion indicators are Subsidiary Conclusions or Intermediary Conclusions (a.k.a. a premise supported by another premise). 

For Main Conclusion questions, it's best to read the vignette and understand the flow of the argument, and identify which sentences are supporting which. This requires some degree of fluency in English and good reading skills. 

If you aren't able to "understand the flow of the argument," then here are some tricks that have worked for non-native English speaking students:

1) Fact or Opinion? - Is the sentence you're reading a fact or a strong opinion? Considering the following example:

Most fashion designers prefer to drink coffee over tea. They ought to drink tea over coffee. After all, coffee can be bad for your body. 

Sentence #1: Most fashion designers prefer to drink coffee over tea. (FACT)

Sentence #2: They should drink tea over coffee. (OPINION)

Sentence #3: After all, coffee can be bad for your body. (FACT)

If there is only one opinion, then that opinion is the conclusion. When there are multiple opinions, you have to think about which opinion is supported by the facts, and also possibly by the other opinion. 

2) Should - When a sentence contains the word "should" it is usually a conclusion. See the following example:

You should wash your feet before going to bed. Otherwise, you will infest your bed sheets with all the bacteria and germs on your feet. 

3) N.O.V.A.™ - stands for Number Object Verb A**. See the following illustration:

Most mothers believe that their children are too young to do anything alone. But they are wrong. 

The first underlined word "Most" is a number word. The second underlined word "mothers" is the object word. The third underlined word "believe" is the verb. The fourth underlined word "But" is the a** (a.k.a. butt or donkey) word. When you see this sequence you know that whatever follow after the A** word is the conclusion. It's a nifty trick and it works - most of the times. 

The X-factor that Keeps Scores Down

I hate it when someone runs on a treadmill next to mine. Maybe I’m just not as swell a guy as I think I am. I find sharing anything else (e.g., my lunch, clothes, money, etc.) so much less annoying than sharing that running space next to me.

The other day, I’m going at it. I have my pace set at a nice and easy 7 mph. Two-minutes into my run, this lady hops onto the machine next to me. She’s decked out in all the right running gear - sports bra, shoes, towel, iPod, Fiji water bottle.

Beep…beep...beep, beep, beep, beep…

I get super conscious of listening to her upping her running speed. Maybe it’s all in my mind, but I feel that this woman is intentionally getting on my nerves. In my head, she is being hyper-competitive. And I think that she’s NOT going to stop running until I stop running. Arrrgh! It’s a race to see who quits first!

LSAT Mishaps | How to "Prevent" Them

Alicia was well prepped for the LSAT. After months of studying, she was comfortably scoring within her target range. The night before the big exam, she went down the checklist that she had meticulously put together - testing ticket, check; #2 pencils, check; water bottle, check; etc. Her biggest fear was being "too nervous".
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Three weeks later, she got an email from LSAC: "Dear Test Taker". Her answer sheet had gone missing. Alicia was stunned.
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Could Alicia have done something to prevent this unfortunate outcome?