Writing out the argument core for questions

[CourtneyH949]

Hi!

I am currently learning the strategy for assumption questions. I know that you are supposed to identify the argument core, think about the gap in the logic, and then go to the questions. However, should you always write out the argument core, or does that take too much time? How should you prioritize when to write out the argument core?

[YiX773]

In practice or review, I think it is good for you to write out the argument core when you cannot understand the stimulus clearly.

However, the default setting should be not writting out the core because there is no time for you to do this in the real time.

You can try to find your balance through doing timed PTs.

[smiller]

In practice or review, I think it is good for you to write out the argument core when you cannot understand the stimulus clearly.

However, the default setting should be not writting out the core because there is no time for you to do this in the real time.

Exactly this. When working on an LR question that involves an argument, it's crucial to identify the argument core. However, it's not necessary or desirable to write out the argument core when working under timed conditions. As YiX773 wrote, it just takes too much time, and with practice you won't need to.

However, a great way to get this practice is by writing out the argument core when you are reviewing questions, especially when reviewing ones that you found difficult. You'll see that we do this in many of the official explanations here on the forums:

Premise: ...
Premise: ...
Premise: ...
Conclusion: ...

This is a great drill that will improve your understanding of arguments and Assumption Family questions in general. After practicing this for a while, you'll find that you can identify the core more quickly and easily without writing anything down.

With all of this being said, there are some cases where it's helpful to take a few notes while working on an LR question, even under timed conditions. Notes or diagrams can be helpful when questions involve a lot of conditional logic or quantified statements. So while it's not advisable to write out the core every time, diagramming is useful in some cases.