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Hire an expert to take your LSAT!Sufficient Assumption & Pseudo Sufficient Assumption Questions
How to Find the Sufficient Assumption
SUFFICIENT ASSUMPTION (SA) QUESTIONS.
Sufficient Assumption questions are like Inference Must be True (MBT) questions, in reverse.
In MBT questions, you’re given all the premises and asked to find the conclusion that would make for a valid argument. Here, you’re given the conclusion and all the premises (minus one). You’re asked to supply that missing premise which will make the argument valid. So really, they can easily turn any MBT question into a SA question by switching out the right answer choice for a premise in the stimulus. Or vice versa.
Idea bridging, as we will revisit in Necessary Assumptions questions, has a prominent role to play here. You have to connect the ideas in a very specific way. You have to build a conditional bridge from the premises to the conclusion. About half the SA questions says something like here’s my premise: “X” and here’s my conclusion: “Y.” You have to supply the missing premise: “If X, then Y.” With this missing premise, the argument receives all the additional support it could ever hope for and achieves that rarified status of validity.
The other type of SA questions has conditional or intersection statements already in the premises or conclusion. The stimulus might say something like “A → B” therefore, “A → C.” You’re being asked to supply the missing premise “B → C.”
Remember the valid argument forms? Like the MBT questions, the SA questions also make use of those. Now’s a good time to review. Also like the MBT questions, if you’re aiming for 170+, these questions have to be freebies for you.
SOME SAMPLE SA QUESTION STEMS:
- The critic’s conclusion follows logically if which one of the following is assumed?
- Which one of the following, if assumed, allows the conclusion of the therapist’s argument to be properly inferred?
- The argument’s conclusion is properly drawn if which one of the following is assumed?
- The conclusion above follows logically if which one of the following is assumed?
LET’S REVIEW
SA questions also make heavy use of logic. Practice mapping out the logic in the stimulus.
Featured image: Old Door-attribution-FlatWorldsEdge
Quiz on Finding Sufficient Assumptions 1 w/ Answers
Question 1
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Tap to restore original D → R _______ R
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D → R
D
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R
Question 2
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Tap to restore original W → O _______ /W
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W → O
/O
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/W
Question 3
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Tap to restore original /E → Q _______ E
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/E → Q
/Q
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E
Question 4
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Tap to restore original M → /W _______ W
Answer
M → /W
If you said "/M", you should review this lesson.
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W
Question 5
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Tap to restore original G _______ O
Answer
G
G → O
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O
Quiz on Finding Sufficient Assumptions 2 w/ Answers
Question 1
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Tap to restore original /I → K _______ I
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/I → K
/K
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I
Question 2
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Tap to restore original /E _______ J
Answer
/E
/E → J
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J
Question 3
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Tap to restore original R _______ B S
Answer
R
R → B
R → S
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B
S
Question 4
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Tap to restore original G → W /J → /W _______ J
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G → W
/J → /W
G or W
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J
Question 5
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Tap to restore original M → H M _______ P
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M → H
M
H → P
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P
Quiz on Finding Sufficient Assumptions 3 w/ Answers
Question 1
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Tap to restore original /U → X /X _______ /Y
Answer
/U → X
/X
U → /Y
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/Y
Question 2
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Tap to restore original /T → B /U _______ T
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/T → B
/U
/U → /B
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T
Question 3
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Tap to restore original M → F /J → /M _______ /M
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M → F
/J → /M
/F or /J
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/M
Question 4
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Tap to restore original M → H _______ /B → /M
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M → H
H → B
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/B → /M
Question 5
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Tap to restore original U → T _______ Y → /U
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U → T
T → /Y
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Y → /U
Quiz on Finding Sufficient Assumptions 4 w/ Answers
Question 1
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Tap to restore original Q → R /M → Q /S → /R /M _______ /F
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Q → R
/M → Q
/S → /R
/M
S → /F
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/F
Question 2
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Tap to restore original B → X /X _______ N
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B → X
/X
/N → B
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N
Question 3
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Tap to restore original /X _______ N
Answer
/X
/X → N
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N
Question 4
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Tap to restore original E → W U → O _______ /O → /E
Answer
E → W
U → O
W → U
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/O → /E
Question 5
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Tap to restore original D → /K /D → F _______ K → /M
Answer
D → /K
/D → F
M → /F
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K → /M
Quiz on Finding Sufficient Assumptions with Intersection Statements 1 w/ Answers
Question 1
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Tap to restore original B ←s→ R ______ B ←s→ T
Answer
B ←s→ R
R → T
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B ←s→ T
Question 2
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Tap to restore original F ←s→ U ______ U ←s→ /I
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F ←s→ U
F → /I
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U ←s→ /I
Question 3
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Tap to restore original Q → K ______ E ←s→ K
Answer
Q → K
Q → E or Q -m→ E or Q ←s→ E
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E ←s→ K
Question 4
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Tap to restore original J → M ______ /J ←s→ F
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J → M
/M → F or /M -m→ F or /M ←s→ F
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/J ←s→ F
Question 5
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Tap to restore original /M → /T ______ M ←s→ S
Answer
/M → /T
T → S or T -m→ S or T ←s→ S
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M ←s→ S
Quiz on Finding Sufficient Assumptions with Intersection Statements 2 w/ Answers
Question 1
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Tap to restore original /F → /E ______ W –m→ F
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/F → /E
W –m→ E
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W –m→ F
Question 2
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Tap to restore original G –m→ N ______ G –m→ /A
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G –m→ N
N → /A
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G –m→ /A
Question 3
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Tap to restore original /E → /P ______ E ←s→ W
Answer
/E → /P
P → W or P -m→ W or P ←s→ W
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E ←s→ W
Question 4
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Tap to restore original /G –m→ W ______ W ←s→ U
Answer
/G –m→ W
/G → U or /G -m→ U
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W ←s→ U
Question 5
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Tap to restore original A ←s→ E E → F ______ R ←s→ A
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A ←s→ E
E → F
E → R or F → R
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R ←s→ A
Quiz on Finding Sufficient Assumptions with Intersection Statements 3 w/ Answers
Question 1
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Tap to restore original /D ←s→ H I → K ______ /D ←s→ K
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/D ←s→ H
I → K
H → I
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/D ←s→ K
Question 2
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Tap to restore original /G → W M ←s→ E ______ G ←s→ M
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/G → W
M ←s→ E
E → /W
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G ←s→ M
Question 3
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Tap to restore original U ←s→ /L /O → F ______ /L ←s→ O
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U ←s→ /L
/O → F
U → /F
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/L ←s→ O
Question 4
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Tap to restore original G –m→ F _________ C ←s→ G
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G –m→ F
F → C
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C ←s→ G
Question 5
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Tap to restore original W -m→ /H /E → G ______ W -m→ E
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W -m→ /H
/E → G
/H → /G
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W -m→ E
Free Speech - SA Question
Sailboat Race - SA Question
Freedom of Information - SA Question
Westside School - SA Question
How to Find the Pseudo Sufficient Assumption
Political Debate - PSA Question
Model student comment:
The “every” is exactly why it is a principle – a general, abstract rule that “blanket” covers specific situations. If the principle in C were true, the conclusion of the argument would also have to be true.
Here’s a diagram:
Abstract Principle: Debating techniques that do not confront EVERY argument should be avoided.
Specific situation/premise: Attacks [on character] do not confront the opponent’s argument.
Conclusion: Well then, if attacks on an opponent’s character do not confront the opponent’s argument, then attacks on character do not confront every argument, so attacks on character should be avoided.
Do NOT try to prove that the principle itself is true – i.e., do not try to prove or justify that in a debate every argument must be confronted. This is a trap. This is not an MBT question. The question stem does not ask: which of the following principles must be true? It asks you to assume the truth of the principle, then go back into the argument assuming the principle is true, and then extrapolate from there in order to justify the conclusion.
Biography of a Politician - PSA Question
Local Charity - PSA Question
Construction Contractor - PSA Question
Sistine Chapel - PSA Question
University Class Size - PSA Question
Strengthen - PSA - SA Questions
Figorian Wildlife Commission - Strengthen Question
Skateboarding in River Park - Strengthen Question
Professor Wigmore - Strengthen Question
Self Expression - Strengthen Question
LR Question Stem Grouped by Level of Engagement
