LSAT Principle Questions

What It Is

Principle questions bridge abstract rules and concrete situations. Identify the Principle: given a specific situation, find the general rule that justifies the reasoning. Apply the Principle: given a general rule, find the situation it applies to or use it to justify a conclusion.

Identify the Principle -- Attack Strategy

• Step 1: Find the conclusion and premises of the stimulus
• Step 2: Ask: what general rule, if true, would make this reasoning valid?
• Step 3: The correct answer should be broad (a rule) but precise enough to apply directly to the stimulus

Apply the Principle -- Attack Strategy

• Step 1: Identify all conditions in the principle precisely -- note every 'if,' 'only if,' 'unless,' and 'when'
• Step 2: For each answer, check whether the situation satisfies the rule's trigger conditions
• Step 3: Then check whether the conclusion drawn in the answer actually follows from applying the rule

Example Problem

Principle: 'A company should discontinue a product only if that product generates consistent losses AND no foreseeable market exists.' Application: Company X's product has lost money for three years but analysts predict a new market will emerge. Answer: Company X should NOT discontinue the product because the second condition (no foreseeable market) is not met.

Common Wrong Answer Traps

• Answers that capture the spirit of the principle but miss a specific condition
• Answers where the situation matches but the conclusion drawn is wrong
• Answers that apply a related but subtly different principle

Top Tips

• Read the principle with extreme precision -- every word in a conditional statement matters
• Wrong answers often satisfy SOME conditions of the principle but not ALL
• Principle questions reward careful reading more than any other type