LSAT Reading Comprehension key terms

The central claim a passage is built to establish; it summarizes what the author most wants the reader to accept and is broader than any single supporting detail.

The author's reason for writing the passage, such as explaining a phenomenon or correcting a misconception; expressed as an action, not as a summary of content.

The range of material a passage actually covers. Choices that reach beyond that range or fall short of it are wrong even when they are true of the topic generally.

A claim written directly in the text, so a reader can point to the exact words that assert it and no reasoning step is needed.

Restating a sentence's content in different words while preserving its meaning; correct answers to detail questions are usually accurate paraphrases rather than word-for-word quotations.

A specific fact, figure, or example the passage offers in service of a larger claim; detail questions ask what the text says about such an item.

A conclusion drawn from stated information by reasoning rather than direct assertion. On this test it must follow necessarily or with strong support from the text.

What a statement suggests without asserting it outright. A passage implies something when a careful reader can derive it from what the author says and leaves unsaid.

An unstated belief the author must hold for the reasoning to work; if denying it would collapse the argument, it qualifies as an assumption.

A conclusion that goes further than the text permits, adding certainty, scope, or causal claims the author never commits to; a frequent trap in inference choices.

The sense a word or phrase carries in its particular sentence, which may differ from its most familiar dictionary meaning; surrounding ideas and the author's purpose determine it.

The role a sentence or example plays in the passage's argument, such as introducing a contrast, conceding a point, or supplying evidence for a preceding claim.

The earlier or later word a pronoun or descriptive phrase stands for; resolving it correctly is a prerequisite for judging any answer choice built on that sentence.

The order and arrangement of a passage's parts, for instance a claim followed by evidence and then a qualification, or an old view replaced by a new one.

A word or phrase such as however, moreover, or for example that signals how the next idea relates to the previous one by marking contrast, addition, concession, or illustration.

Acknowledging a point favoring the opposing side before answering it; usually introduced by admittedly or granted and followed by but or yet.

A specific example offered to clarify or support a general claim; removing it would leave the claim standing but less concrete and less persuasive.

An opposing position the author presents in order to rebut it; separating the author's own view from the view being refuted is essential to main-point questions.

A structure in which one condition is said to produce another; passages often dispute which of two candidate causes is the real one.

Using a rule, principle, or definition from the passage to judge a new case the text never mentions; the new case must share the features the passage treats as relevant.

A broad statement covering many cases, drawn from limited examples; the reader should test whether the passage's evidence actually supports the breadth claimed.

A general rule underlying specific judgments in the passage; it explains why particular cases are praised, criticized, or grouped as they are.

A standard the author uses for evaluating something, such as requiring a theory to explain all the evidence or a practice to respect individual autonomy.

A comparison asserting that a relationship holding in one situation also holds in another; the reasoning succeeds only if the two situations are alike in the relevant respect.

Recognizing that a new argument shares the logical structure of an argument in the passage even though its subject matter and wording differ completely.

The attitude conveyed by word choice and emphasis, such as cautious, dismissive, admiring, or skeptical; adjectives and evaluative phrasing usually reveal it.

The author's stance toward the subject, usually conveyed indirectly. A correct answer matches the strength of the language, distinguishing mild reservation from outright rejection.

Words carrying a strong evaluative charge, such as so-called, alleged, or remarkable, which reveal the author's view while appearing merely to describe.

An assertion limited by hedging words such as often, may, or in most cases; such claims are weaker and therefore harder to refute than absolute ones.

A fact supplied in a question stem but absent from the passage; the task is to decide whether it strengthens, weakens, or leaves unchanged the passage's argument.

To make a claim more likely true by adding supporting evidence or by eliminating a rival explanation that had competed with the author's account.

To reduce support for a claim by producing a counterexample, an unaddressed alternative cause, or a gap in the reasoning linking evidence to conclusion.

A question set based on two short passages about a related topic; the reader tracks each author's view separately, then defines where the two converge and diverge.

The specific issue on which two passages take incompatible positions; authors may share a topic and many claims while still splitting on one central question.

A claim both passages accept, sometimes stated in only one of them; correct answers describe shared ground rather than either author's distinctive view.