This blog is a part of the “Approach Question Type” series and like all articles in this series will focus on step 4 of the “Analyze Stimulus” step. If you need a refresher on how to approach LR questions generally, make sure to check up on our blog "How to Approach the Logical Reasoning Section.”
Table of Contents:
Principle type questions ask you to identify a general principle or rule that is then applied to the reasoning of the argument in support or in flaw. These types of questions will generally require you to:
A) Identify Principle
B) Apply & Match Principle
C) Spot the Violation of the Principle
Principle questions lie on the intersection of “formal logic” and “assumptions” based question types. That is, in some cases, you may see a Principle type question that clearly and concretely states the rule without ambiguity. Therefore, it will be easy for you to diagram out the formal logic rule. In other cases, the principle might be more assumption based, where you may be asked to infer a broad rule or principle from a specific argument or set of facts. This requires you to see beyond what is explicitly stated and draw logical conclusions through assumptions from the premise to the conclusion by finding the “jump” in logic.
In either cases of a more clearly stated principle with a formal rule or a rule that draws on more inferences, your first and most important step will always be to identify that “logical jump” from premise to conclusion in the stimulus. How did the author arrive at the conclusion? In our analysis, we must not take anything for granted. Spotting the assumption gap can sometimes be missed because we take things for granted. That gap is where you will eventually discover the principle that the writer uses for his argument.
Argument: A majority of people in the city dislike the traffic congestion and pollution caused by too many cars on the road. A recent rigorous study discovered that the increased use of public transportation reduces traffic congestion and pollution. Therefore, the city should attempt to implement policies that encourage public transportation usage.
Step-by-step approach:
As mentioned earlier, there are generally three types of “Principle” question stems. Below we will go a bit more in depth about what each of these question stems ask you to do, and what a correct answer choice might look like in regards to our traffic argument.
A) Identify — ask you to find the principle that is used in the stimulus
A correct answer choice will address the underlying assumption. Remember: The core assumption here is that we are assuming the city should even attempt to do something that the people want. A correct answer choice for identifying the principle used in that argument might go something along the lines of:
A city should attempt to implement policies that satisfy the needs of the majority of the people if there is also a rigorous study that supports their method.
B) Apply & Match — the principle is usually stated or made obvious in the stimulus, and your goal is to find an application that matches the rule.
In this question stem type, assume the principle (like the one we listed above for Identify) is explicitly stated in the stimulus itself. “A city should attempt to implement policies that satisfy the needs of the majority of the people if there is also a study that supports their policy.”
The purpose of Apply & Match is to find a similar analogically close application of that same rule in the answer choices. An example correct answer choice that applies that principle may be the following:
A widely peer reviewed scientific article found that increasing expenditure on street cleaning programs is effective in keeping roads clean. Most of the people in this city want to have clean streets as a top priority. Therefore, the city should increase expenditure on street cleaning programs.
C) Spot the Violation — the principle is usually stated or made obvious in the stimulus, and your goal is to find an answer choice that fails to satisfy the principle.
In this question stem, again assume the principle (like the one we listed above for Identify) is explicitly stated in the stimulus itself. “A city should attempt to implement policies that satisfy the needs of the majority of the people if there is also a study that supports their policy.”
The answer choices will then provide an illustration of a violation of the principle given to us in the stimulus. For example, the following would be a violation:
Most of the city members have voted to preserve the natural city parks rather than build more corporate skyscraper buildings. However, the city mayor has decided to allow the Construction Corporation to tear down more parks for construction.
The violation against the principle would be that the city mayor implements decisions that go against the city members' expressed desires.
