Core LR Question Types

Every question type uses the same LR process — but asks for something different.

You already know how to find the conclusion, identify the gap, and read with purpose. Now apply that process to each question type.

Must Be True / Most Strongly Supported

The answer must be true given the argument. Not might be true, not could be true — must be true.

Process:

1. Find the conclusion
2. Identify what must be true for the conclusion to hold
3. Look for the answer that is supported, not just possible

Wrong answers often introduce information not in the argument.

Main Conclusion

Identify the point the author is arguing for. Usually found at the end of the argument, but not always.

Process:

1. Find the "so / therefore" signal
2. Ask: is this what the author wants me to believe?
3. The conclusion is what remains after you remove the evidence

Assumption

Find what must be true for the argument to work. The assumption is the unstated premise that bridges the gap.

Process:

1. Find the conclusion
2. Find the gap — what does the author need but not state?
3. The right answer is necessary — without it, the argument falls apart

Distinguish between:

• Necessary assumption: Must be true for the conclusion to follow
• Sufficient assumption: On its own, proves the conclusion

Role of Statement

Identify what a specific sentence does in the argument — premise, counterargument, background, conclusion, etc.

Process:

1. Find the referenced sentence
2. Ask: what is this sentence doing in the argument?
3. Match to the role without getting lost in the content

Flaw in Reasoning

Identify what's wrong with the argument's logic.

Process:

1. Find the conclusion and premises
2. Identify the reasoning error
3. Look for common flaws: causal errors, circular reasoning, false dilemma, unwarranted leap

Strengthen

Add information that closes the gap between premises and conclusion.

Process:

1. Identify the gap
2. Look for an answer that makes the conclusion more likely
3. The right answer addresses the specific assumption

Weaken

Expose the flaw or assumption that makes the argument fail.

Process:

1. Identify the gap
2. Find what would make the conclusion unlikely
3. The right answer attacks the assumption, not the conclusion directly

Inference

What must be true based on the passage? Not what the author says — what logically follows.

Process:

1. Don't look for the conclusion — look for what the premises imply
2. The answer must follow from the evidence, not restate it

Point at Issue

Two people disagree. What's the core disagreement?

Process:

1. Identify what both agree on (the shared premise)
2. Identify where they diverge (the actual disagreement)
3. The answer is the issue they disagree about

The LSAT is simpler than you think. The process is the same for every type. The question tells you what to look for.