Difficult or time-consuming?

Many LSAT test-takers consider parallel reasoning questions the hardest type, and thus always skip these questions. However, ask yourself whether they are necessarily difficult, or merely time-consuming for you. If they are not necessarily difficult, but do take time, then it might nevertheless be worth the time. Suppose that you can do weaken argument questions in about two minutes each, but usually get them wrong, yet you can do parallel reasoning questions in about four minutes each, but usually get them correct. Suppose you are at the end of a logical reasoning section with four minutes left and have your choice of doing two weaken questions, or one parallel reasoning question. Clearly, your best option is to go for the parallel reasoning question. See LSAT PrepTest 50, Section 4, Question 14 for an example of a parallel reasoning question that takes time and patience, but

 

Distinguish between argument structure and paragraph structure

How components of an argument appear in the paragraph have nothing to do with an argument's structure; it does not matter in which order premises and conclusions appear. Consider some simple argument structures, all of which parallel -- X is the conclusion; Y the premise:

	X because of Y.
	Because of Y, thus X.
	Since Y, therefore X.
	X. After all, Y.

Consider LSAT PrepTest 50, Section 4, Question 14. The second sentence of the original argument lists the premise first, followed by the conclusion, whereas the second sentence of the correct choice, (D), lists the conclusion first, followed by the premise.