Logical Reasoning

Logical reasoning questions evaluate your ability to understand, analyze, criticize, and complete a variety of arguments. The arguments are contained in short passages taken from a variety of sources, including speeches, advertisements, letters to the editor, book, newspaper articles or editorials, informal discussions, and conversations, as well as articles in the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences.

Each logical reasoning question requires you to read and comprehend a short passage, then answer one or two questions about it. The questions test a variety of abilities involved in reasoning logically and thinking critically.

Structure

Statement or Issue

Most often, first two or more sentences describe a statement or issue. It is a common mistake that the test taker, with less practice of the question type, chooses the answer that challenges the statement or gives other parallel statements. Never, try to make the statement false.

Assumption

Assumption is the idea on which the conclusion base. Some times, the assumption is stated in the passage, and some times, it is hidden.

Hidden assumptions are facts of ideas, not stated in the passage that must be true if the argument is to be considered valid.

Examples

Statement:
The Suzuki goes from 0 to 60 in 1.2 milliseconds.

Assumption:
You need or want a car that can accelerate fast.

If the assumption is true, then the evidence does support the notion that the Suzuki is a good car to buy, If not, then the evidence is worthless.

Statement:
Sports car driver Asad says, “I love the new Suzuki”

Assumption:
You should care what Asad says. The opinion of a professional sports car driver concerning which car is best is relevant to your needs as a driver.

If you too are a sports car driver, then Asad’s opinion may actually be relevant to your needs. If you spend most of your driving hours stuck in five miles per hour traffic

Statement:
The Suzuki is the fastest-selling in Pakistan.

Assumption:
If a car sells quickly, it must be right for you too.

Obviously, sheer popularity isn’t proof of quality.

Conclusion

This is what the author of the argument is trying to get you to believe or agree with. It will normally be stated explicitly somewhere in the passage (although not always). The conclusion may sound like a statement of fact (one-third of the physician in Lahore own foreign sports car); (You should test-drive the new Suzuki today). In each case, the conclusion is what the rest of the argument is intended to support or prove.

The conclusion is often signaled by one or more clue words inserted specifically to alert the reader to the fact that the main point of the argument is coming.

Clue Words That Signal Conclusion

Therefore, consequently, hence, thus, so, we can conclude, which shows that it can be inferred that, it is apparent that, we must agree that.