LSAT Reading Flashcards: Resolve A Contradiction

What this deck covers

This deck focuses on Resolve A Contradiction, giving you a quick way to review the definitions, rules, and examples that matter most for LSAT Reading.

How to use these flashcards

Work through these flashcards in short sessions. Try to answer each prompt before flipping the card, then revisit any cards you miss until the explanation feels automatic.

Flashcard 1: Identify the resolution pattern: 'the museum is crowded' but 'ticket sales are down'—what reconciles this?

Answer: More visitors entered for free or via memberships despite fewer paid tickets. Non-ticket entry methods explain the crowd-sales gap.

Flashcard 2: What is the key distinction between 'contradiction' and 'surprising result' in these questions?

Answer: A surprising result is unexpected; a contradiction is seemingly impossible. Contradictions seem logically impossible until resolved.

Flashcard 3: What is the most efficient first step when you see two seemingly inconsistent claims in a passage?

Answer: Precisely restate the contradiction in your own words. Clear articulation helps identify what needs reconciling.

Flashcard 4: What is the primary goal of a Resolve a Contradiction question in LSAT Reading Comprehension?

Answer: Select the choice that explains how both facts can be true. The goal is finding how seemingly incompatible facts coexist.

Flashcard 5: Which option best resolves: "The manuscript is dated earlier" and "It cites a later event"?

Answer: The date reflects copying of an older text with later marginal additions. Later additions to older texts explain anachronistic references.

Flashcard 6: Which option best resolves: "The lake is cleaner than last year" and "Fish deaths increased this year"?

Answer: A different toxin or temperature shift caused deaths despite cleaner water overall. New harmful factors can override general improvements.

Flashcard 7: What is the most reliable way to test a candidate answer in a contradiction question?

Answer: Assume it is true and check that it makes both claims jointly plausible. If true, the answer should make both claims sensible together.

Flashcard 8: Identify the resolution pattern: 'average increased' but 'most individuals decreased'—what reconciles this?

Answer: A small number of large increases raised the mean despite many decreases. Outliers can skew averages even when most values drop.

Flashcard 9: Which option type is usually correct in Resolve a Contradiction: attack a fact, or add a reconciling fact?

Answer: Add a reconciling fact that makes the apparent conflict disappear. Adding context resolves contradictions; attacking facts creates new problems.

Flashcard 10: Which option best resolves: "A species is rare in surveys" and "It is frequently seen by locals"?

Answer: The species is active outside survey times or in unsampled microhabitats. Survey limitations miss actual abundance patterns.

Flashcard 11: Which option best resolves: "Sales rose" and "Profit fell"?

Answer: Costs increased enough to outweigh the higher revenue. Higher costs can eliminate profits despite revenue gains.

Flashcard 12: Which option best resolves: "The city planted more trees" and "Urban heat increased"?

Answer: Heat rose due to expanded pavement or a hotter climate, outweighing tree effects. Other factors overwhelmed the cooling effect of trees.

Flashcard 13: What kind of language in an answer choice often signals a scope-based reconciliation?

Answer: Qualifiers such as "some," "often," "in certain contexts," or "earlier". These limit statements to specific conditions where both can be true.

Flashcard 14: Identify the resolution pattern: 'policy improved outcomes' but 'complaints increased'—what reconciles this?

Answer: Improved reporting or awareness increased complaints despite better outcomes. Better detection often reveals more problems to report.

Flashcard 15: What should you do if an answer choice could resolve the contradiction but contradicts a stated passage fact?

Answer: Eliminate it; the correct answer must be consistent with the passage. Answers must work within the passage's established facts.

Flashcard 16: Identify the resolution pattern: 'overall rate fell' but 'number of incidents rose'—what reconciles this?

Answer: A larger population base makes the rate fall while the count rises. Rate = count/population; population growth explains this pattern.

Flashcard 17: Identify the resolution pattern: 'species is declining' but 'more sightings reported'—what reconciles this?

Answer: Increased monitoring or habitat concentration raised sightings despite decline. Better observation methods find more of fewer animals.

Flashcard 18: Which option best resolves: "The class average increased" and "Most students scored lower than before"?

Answer: A few very high scores raised the average despite many declines. Outliers skew averages despite majority decline.

Flashcard 19: What is the most common trap choice in Resolve a Contradiction questions?

Answer: An option that strengthens one side while leaving the conflict intact. This makes one claim stronger but doesn't reconcile the contradiction.

Flashcard 20: What is the difference between "resolve" and "explain away" in contradiction questions?

Answer: Resolve supplies a reconciliation; it does not deny either statement. Resolution accepts both claims; explaining away rejects one.

Flashcard 21: Which option best resolves: "The policy cut commuting time" and "Traffic congestion worsened"?

Answer: More people began driving, offsetting congestion while some routes became faster. Individual gains can coexist with overall worsening.

Flashcard 22: What is the most common trap answer type in Resolve a Contradiction questions?

Answer: A choice that restates one side without reconciling the conflict. Watch for choices that explain only one side.

Flashcard 23: Which option best resolves: "The author praises simplicity" and "The author advocates complex regulations"?

Answer: The author favors simple goals but complex rules to achieve them. Different aspects allow both simplicity and complexity preferences.

Flashcard 24: Which option best resolves: "The drug reduced symptoms in trials" and "Patients report no benefit"?

Answer: The real-world patients differ from trial subjects or use the drug incorrectly. Real-world conditions differ from controlled trial settings.

Flashcard 25: Which option best resolves: "The museum attendance fell" and "Ticket revenue rose"?

Answer: Ticket prices increased or more visitors bought higher-priced tickets. Price increases offset volume decreases.

Flashcard 26: Which option is usually wrong: one that introduces a new contradiction, or one that narrows a condition?

Answer: One that introduces a new contradiction or conflicts with the passage. Creating new problems doesn't solve the original contradiction.

Flashcard 27: Identify the key task: should you prove one statement false or explain how both can be true?

Answer: Explain how both can be true. Resolution preserves both statements rather than refuting one.

Flashcard 28: Which option is more likely correct: one that introduces a plausible hidden variable, or one that repeats the paradox?

Answer: One that introduces a plausible hidden variable. Hidden factors explain apparent contradictions.

Flashcard 29: Which option type most often resolves a contradiction: new cause, restatement, or irrelevant detail?

Answer: A new cause or contextual fact that reconciles the two claims. New information explains the apparent conflict without denying either claim.

Flashcard 30: Identify the resolution pattern: 'the drug is effective' but 'the trial showed no benefit'—what reconciles this?

Answer: The trial population or dosage differed from the conditions where it works. Different test conditions explain different results.

Flashcard 31: What is the best initial paraphrase of an apparent contradiction in a passage?

Answer: A single sentence stating Claim A and Claim B cannot both hold. Clearly state why the claims seem mutually exclusive.

Flashcard 32: What common structure resolves contradictions by narrowing scope: changing time, place, or population?

Answer: A scope shift (time/place/group) that makes both claims compatible. Different contexts allow both statements to be true.

Flashcard 33: Identify the resolution pattern: 'factory emissions fell' but 'local air quality worsened'—what reconciles this?

Answer: Other pollution sources rose or weather trapped pollutants despite lower emissions. Multiple factors affect air quality beyond one source.

Flashcard 34: Which answer choice feature is a red flag: directly addresses both facts, or addresses only one fact?

Answer: Addresses only one fact. Must reconcile both facts, not just explain one.

Flashcard 35: Which word best signals a likely contradiction setup you should track: 'therefore', 'however', or 'for example'?

Answer: However. Contrast words signal opposing claims to reconcile.