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Weaken LSAT questions ask which answer hurts an argument. Learn how to find the gap, attack it without disproving the conclusion, and avoid the common traps.
Quick answer: a Weaken question asks which answer, if true, makes the conclusion less likely. It does not have to show the conclusion is false. Find what the author is assuming, then pick the answer that attacks that assumption.
Which one of the following, if true, most weakens the argument?
Which one of the following most undermines the reasoning above?
Which one of the following, if true, casts the most doubt on the conclusion?
How to Solve Weaken Questions
Find the conclusion and the evidence.
Ask what must hold for the evidence to lead to the conclusion.
Think of another explanation or a missing factor.
Accept each answer as true.
Pick the answer that makes the conclusion less likely.
Weaken Questions Example
This is a practice example we wrote to show the idea. It is not a real LSAT question.
Argument: Students who eat breakfast get better grades than those who do not. So eating breakfast improves grades.
Question: Which answer most weakens the argument?
Best answer: Students who eat breakfast are more likely to get a full night of sleep, and sleep is linked to better grades.
Why: The argument jumps from a link to a cause. This answer gives another possible cause, so breakfast may not be doing the work. The conclusion could still be true, but it is now less likely.
Common Traps
Answers that attack the evidence rather than the link from evidence to conclusion.
Answers that are out of scope, even if they sound negative.
Answers that are about a different group or time.
Wanting an answer that fully disproves the argument. You only need to weaken it.
Weaken Questions FAQ
What is the most common way to weaken an argument?
Offer another cause, or show that the evidence does not apply to the conclusion.
Can I question the premises?
You are meant to accept the premises. Attack how they lead to the conclusion.
How is Weaken different from Flaw?
Weaken adds a new fact. Flaw describes the mistake using only what is on the page.
