{"id":12105,"date":"2024-10-03T10:21:59","date_gmt":"2024-10-03T10:21:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/?p=12105"},"modified":"2024-10-03T15:30:57","modified_gmt":"2024-10-03T15:30:57","slug":"lsat-logical-reasoning-parallel-parallel-flaws","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/lsat\/lsat-logical-reasoning-parallel-parallel-flaws\/","title":{"rendered":"LSAT Logical Reasoning: Parallel &amp; Parallel Flaws"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Parallel reasoning questions on the LSAT require you to (1) identify the logic and structure of an argument and (2) find an argument with similar logic\/structure. For this type of LR question, you will need to look for the patterns in the structure. The argument itself does matter, but a little less than in other LR question types. If you\u2019ve been working on LSAT practice questions, chances are you are already confident with identifying conclusions, evidence, and assumptions and understanding he basic premises of arguments.<\/p>\n<p>To practice this type of LSAT question, you\u2019ll focus a bit more on paraphrasing the stimulus in your own words. This will essentially become your \u201cprediction.\u201d But first, how can you recognize this question type? Look at the wording of the question stems. Here are some you\u2019ll commonly see:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Which of the following utilized the same pattern of reasoning as the argument above?<\/li>\n<li>Which of the following most closely parallels the above argument?<\/li>\n<li>The logic of the above argument is most closely parallel to which of the following?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The key thing to keep in mind is that <b><i>parallel arguments have parallel flaws<\/i><\/b>. If two arguments are parallel in their logical reasoning, then it is reasonable to guess that the assumptions or flaws they make will be very close.<\/p>\n<p>[<strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <a title=\"LSAT Logical Reasoning: Flaws &amp; Common Flaws\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/lsat\/lsat-logical-reasoning-flaws-parallel-flaws\/\">Logical Reasoning: Flaws and Common Flaws<\/a>]<\/p>\n<div  style=' margin-top:30px; margin-bottom:4px;'  class='hr hr-custom hr-center hr-icon-no  0  avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_heading  avia-builder-el-first '><span class='hr-inner  inner-border-av-border-none' style=' width:50px;' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div  style='padding-bottom:10px; ' class='av-special-heading av-special-heading-h2  blockquote modern-quote  avia-builder-el-1  el_after_av_hr  el_before_av_heading  '><h2 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >4 Steps to Solve Parallel Reasoning Questions on the LSAT<\/h2><div class='special-heading-border'><div class='special-heading-inner-border' ><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<ol>\n<li>Write down the conclusion and the evidence.<\/li>\n<li>Write down the structure symbolically (Evidence, then Conclusion, followed by example).<\/li>\n<li>Eliminate answer choices that doesn\u2019t mirror the structure.<\/li>\n<li>Compare any remaining choices for content.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>One question to ask yourself is: is the argument convincing? If the assumptions aren\u2019t weak and the conclusion holds up based on the evidence provided, then the correct answer will ALSO have a strong argument. Weak arguments are parallel with weak arguments, and strong arguments are parallel with strong arguments. Don\u2019t worry whether the subject matter is the same or different. Just because two arguments focus on television syndication rights does NOT mean they are automatically parallel.<br \/>\n<div  style='padding-bottom:10px; ' class='av-special-heading av-special-heading-h3    avia-builder-el-2  el_after_av_heading  el_before_av_promobox  '><h3 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >LSAT Parallel Reasoning Practice Question<\/h3><div class='special-heading-border'><div class='special-heading-inner-border' ><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n\t<div   class='av_promobox  avia-button-no   avia-builder-el-3  el_after_av_heading  el_before_av_heading '>\t\t<div class='avia-promocontent'><p>\n<em>The pattern of reasoning in which one of the following is most similar to that in the argument provided?<\/em><br \/>\nTeam Captain: Winning requires the willingness to cooperate, which in turn requires motivation. So you will not win if you are not motivated.<br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Diagram: A\u2192B, B\u2192C. Therefore, -C\u2192-A<\/span><br \/>\nA is \u201cwinning\u201d, B is \u201cwillingness to cooperate\u201d, and C is \u201cmotivation\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><br \/>\n<div  style='padding-bottom:10px; ' class='av-special-heading av-special-heading-h3  blockquote modern-quote  avia-builder-el-4  el_after_av_promobox  el_before_av_hr  '><h3 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Possible Answers and Corresponding Diagrams<\/h3><div class='special-heading-border'><div class='special-heading-inner-border' ><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/>\nA) \u00a0\u00a0Being healthy requires exercise. But exercise involves risk of injury. So, paradoxically, anyone who wants to be healthy will not exercise.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>A<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2192<\/span>B, B<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2192<\/span>C. Therefore A<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2192<\/span>-B<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>B) \u00a0\u00a0Learning requires making some mistakes. And you must learn if you are to improve. So you will not make mistakes without there being a noticeable improvement.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>A<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2192<\/span>B, A<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2192<\/span>C. Therefore \u2013B<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2192<\/span>C<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>C) \u00a0\u00a0Our political party will retain its status only if it raises more money. But raising more money requires increased campaigning. So our party will not retain its status unless it increases campaigning.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>A<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2192<\/span>B, B<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2192<\/span>C. Therefore \u2013C<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2192<\/span>-A<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>D) \u00a0\u00a0You\u00a0 mechanical aptitude.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>A<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2192<\/span>B, B<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2192<\/span>C. Therefore \u2013A<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2192<\/span>-C<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>E) \u00a0\u00a0Getting a ticket requires waiting in line. Waiting in line requires patience. So if you do not wait in line, you lack patience.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>A<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2192<\/span>B, B<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2192<\/span>C. Therefore \u2013A<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2192<\/span>-C<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>As you can see from the diagrams above, the only diagram in an answer that matches that of the argument is answer \u201cC\u201d. Diagramming the arguments like this is helpful for all of the parallel questions, whether you are asked to match the reasoning or match the flaw.<\/p>\n<div  style=' margin-top:30px; margin-bottom:4px;'  class='hr hr-custom hr-center hr-icon-no  0  avia-builder-el-5  el_after_av_heading  el_before_av_icon_box '><span class='hr-inner  inner-border-av-border-none' style=' width:50px;' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<p><article  class=\"iconbox iconbox_top main_color    avia-builder-el-6  el_after_av_hr  el_before_av_heading  \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class=\"iconbox_content\"><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><div class=\"iconbox_icon heading-color\" aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue82a' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'  ><\/div><h3 class='iconbox_content_title  '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Expert Tip<\/h3><\/header><div class='iconbox_content_container  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p>It is helpful to use neutral letters like A and B, rather than W for willing and C for cooperation, because the sample answers will not have \u201cwinning\u201d but other factors. Using neutral letters will keep you from getting to confused with the terms in the argument and the terms in the answers.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><br \/>\nBe patient with yourself with this LSAT question-type \u2013 you\u2019ll have to work on 6 arguments total, so this question will take a little longer than you think!<br \/>\n<div  style='padding-bottom:10px; ' class='av-special-heading av-special-heading-h3    avia-builder-el-7  el_after_av_icon_box  el_before_av_iconlist  '><h3 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >LSAT Parallel Flaws<\/h3><div class='special-heading-border'><div class='special-heading-inner-border' ><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n\u201cFlaw\u201d questions on the LSAT can appear in a variety of forms, but all essentially ask you to focus on the same thing: the logical fallacy of the argument. The most common logical flaws are apparent to even the novice law student, but if you find yourself getting some of the harder \u201cParallel Flaw\u201d questions incorrect on your LSAT practice tests, it may be that your approach needs to be stepped-up to get primed for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/study\/lsat\/lsat-test-day-guide\/\">LSAT Test Day<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The typical \u201cParallel Flaw\u201d LSAT question asks: <i>\u201cWhich one of the following contains a flaw that most closely parallels the flaw contained in the passage?\u201d\u00a0<\/i><br \/>\n<div  class='avia-icon-list-container   avia-builder-el-8  el_after_av_heading  el_before_av_sidebar '><ul class='avia-icon-list avia-icon-list-left av-iconlist-big avia_animate_when_almost_visible avia-iconlist-animate'>\n<li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue871' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Step 1 \u2013 Take apart the argument in the passage, using your scratch pad.<\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p>If you don\u2019t fully focus on the argument in the passage first, you can\u2019t even begin to know what is \u201cparallel.\u201d If you\u2019re getting this relatively easy question-type wrong, you\u2019re probably jumping too quickly to the answer choices or failing to utilize your scratch pad. Your notes don\u2019t have to be extensive, but even writing a couple choice words will \u201cfirm up\u201d in your brain what the argument\u2019s flaw is, and allow you to better remember it as you weed through the answer choices.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li>\n<li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue871' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Step 2 - Eliminate answer choices that are \u201cobviously\u201d wrong. <\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p>The more exact your understanding is of the given argument\u2019s flaw, the more quickly you\u2019ll be able to weed out the obviously wrong choices. Spend more time up front of the passage, and you\u2019ll breeze through the answer choices. Narrowed it down to two? Move on to Step 3:<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li>\n<li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue871' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Step 3 - Carefully compare any remaining choices.<\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p>How are they different in terms of scope, word choice, etc. What is the basis for the flaw in each one? Remember, you are looking for the choice that best mimics the flaw in the argument, so it might not necessarily be the answer choice that is the same format or subject-matter. In fact, it commonly won\u2019t be!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div><\/p>\n<p><strong>Next:<\/strong> <a title=\"LSAT Logical Reasoning: Strengthen &amp; Weaken Questions\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/lsat\/lsat-logical-reasoning-strengthen-weaken-questions\/\">Logical Reasoning: Strengthen and Weaken<\/a><br \/>\n<div  class='avia-builder-widget-area clearfix  avia-builder-el-9  el_after_av_iconlist  avia-builder-el-last '><div id=\"text-68\" class=\"widget clearfix widget_text\">\t\t\t<div class=\"textwidget\"><p><span data-sumome-listbuilder-embed-id=\"b09e45baf32bb094b1db7ecb7bbced76db6d5ddeedea46d11ddd040e8de23baa\"><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><div id=\"text-69\" class=\"widget clearfix widget_text\">\t\t\t<div class=\"textwidget\"><p><span data-sumome-listbuilder-embed-id=\"47f64185b039c44474f0041fb26ab7c506845672b7ebef37d1d95bc82f27b02f\"><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Parallel reasoning questions on the LSAT require you to (1) identify the logic and structure of an argument and (2) find an argument with similar logic\/structure. For this type of LR question, you will need to look for the patterns in the structure. The argument itself does matter, but a little less than in other [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":47391,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[25],"tags":[333],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12105"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12105"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12105\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47393,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12105\/revisions\/47393"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47391"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12105"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12105"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}