[podelljacob]

Mike,
In the LSAT Trainer on pg. 440 when discussing I.D. the role questions, you list several different roles that exist in an argument. While you do say that “the wording might be different,” the word “premise” is not listed there. So, in terms of formal LSAT arguments, what is a premise?
An example of a question where this becomes crucial is Q54.2.17. I managed to get the answer correct, but I struggled a lot because I wasn’t sure if the part the stem was asking about was a premise (although I knew it was 100% not the conclusion).

Thanks for your help,
Jacob

[Anonymous]

Hi! So a premise is a statement of fact that directly supports the arguments conclusion. It should be assumed true, while conclusion on arguments should not be assumed true.

Example: If I told you that the LSAT is a test you take to be admitted into a law school, and I then told you that you will do well because you’ve studied hard, the premise would be that you’ve studied hard.

So the argument would go:
The LSAT Is a test you take to be admitted into law school. Jacob has studied hard. Therefore, he will do well on the LSAT.

SO let’s break this down. The first sentence gives us background . Does it directly support the argument? No, not really. Again, it really just gives you context in terms of what is goin on in the argument.

The second sentence is direct support for the idea that you will do well on the LSAT. I’ve said that you have studied hard, which obviously means that you will do well….right? Wrong lol. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you will do well, but that is the PREMISE that you gave me,. It it gives me a fact that directly supports the argument that you will do well on the LSAT.

Hope this helps you out. I’m sure the experts will have some input for you as well.

[ltownsjr1]

Had to change accounts, but I’m up here if you need to ask any follow ups. Again, I hope it helped .

[Mike Kim]

Hey –just to back up what Ltownsjr said — premise is just a fancy word for support —

Cheers — MK