CLAT Logical Reasoning Syllabus

Define the 'slippery slope' fallacy.

Claiming one small step will inevitably lead to a chain of negative consequences without evidence for that chain.

Define the 'hasty generalisation' fallacy.

Drawing a broad conclusion from an insufficient, biased, or unrepresentative sample.

Define the 'appeal to authority' fallacy.

Claiming something is true merely because an authority or famous person says so, especially outside their area of expertise.

Define the 'appeal to popularity' (bandwagon) fallacy.

Arguing that a claim is true or correct simply because many people believe it or do it.

What does a 'Flaw in the Reasoning' question ask you to find?

The logical error or unjustified assumption that makes the argument's reasoning defective, regardless of whether the conclusion happens to be true.

In flaw questions, what is the error of 'confusing correlation with causation'?

Concluding that one thing causes another merely because the two occur together or vary together.

In flaw questions, what is the flaw of 'confusing necessary and sufficient conditions'?

Treating a condition that is merely necessary as if it were sufficient (or vice versa) to guarantee a result.

What is the 'equivocation' flaw?

Using a single word or phrase with two different meanings in the same argument, making the reasoning invalid.

What is the goal of a Parallel Reasoning question?

To find the answer choice whose logical structure or pattern of reasoning matches that of the original argument.

When solving Parallel Reasoning, what should you match and what should you ignore?

Match the abstract logical structure (form, conditional pattern, type of conclusion); ignore the subject matter or topic of the content.

In Parallel Flaw questions, what must the correct answer share with the stem?

The same TYPE of logical error, not just a generally weak argument.

In Evaluating Evidence, what makes a sample 'representative'?

It is large enough and selected so that it accurately reflects the relevant characteristics of the whole population being studied.

What is 'sampling bias' when evaluating evidence?

A flaw where the sample is not representative of the population, so conclusions drawn from it are unreliable.

When evaluating a statistical claim, why does 'percentage vs absolute number' matter?

A large percentage of a tiny base can be a small number, and a small percentage of a huge base can be large; conclusions confusing the two are flawed.

What question should an 'Evaluate the Argument' answer choice help you answer?

Whether knowing the answer to it would make the argument either stronger or weaker; relevant questions test the key assumption.

What is an 'analogy' in logical reasoning?

An argument that because two things are alike in some known respects, they are also alike in a further respect.

What is the main weakness of any argument by analogy?

It fails if there is a relevant difference between the two things compared that breaks the similarity in the key respect.

How do you strengthen versus weaken an argument by analogy?

Strengthen by showing the two cases are alike in additional relevant respects; weaken by showing a relevant dissimilarity.

What three conditions support a strong cause-and-effect claim?

The cause precedes the effect in time, the two are correlated, and plausible alternative causes have been ruled out.

List the main ways to weaken a causal argument.

Show an alternative cause, show the cause occurs without the effect, show the effect occurs without the cause, or show reversed causation (effect causes the cause).

What is 'reverse causation' as an error in cause-and-effect reasoning?

Concluding A causes B when in fact B causes A, or the causal direction is the opposite of what is claimed.

In Paragraph Coherence questions, what does 'coherence' refer to?

The logical and orderly flow of ideas so that each sentence connects sensibly to the next around a single central theme.

In a para-jumble (sentence ordering) question, what is the typical first step?

Identify the opening sentence (introduces the topic, no pronouns referring back) and the concluding sentence, then link the middle using connectors and pronoun references.

What clues help establish the correct sequence in paragraph coherence questions?

Pronoun antecedents, transition words (however, therefore, moreover), chronological/cause-effect order, and repeated or referenced nouns.

In 'Course of Action' questions, when should a suggested action be considered valid?

When it directly addresses the problem in the statement and is practical/feasible, rather than vague, extreme, or impractical.

What are the standard answer formats in 'Course of Action' questions?

Typically: only I follows, only II follows, either I or II follows, neither follows, or both I and II follow.

In Course of Action, why are 'extreme' or 'impractical' actions usually rejected?

A valid course of action should be reasonable and implementable; drastic, sweeping, or unworkable measures do not logically follow from the problem.

In 'Statement and Assumption' questions, what is an assumption?

Something the speaker or writer takes for granted while making the statement; an implied, unstated supposition necessary for the statement to make sense.

What is the standard test to check whether an assumption is implicit in a statement?

Apply negation: negate the assumption; if the statement no longer holds or becomes meaningless, the assumption is implicit (valid).

In Statement and Assumption, why are assumptions stating obvious facts or already in the statement rejected?

An assumption must be UNSTATED and taken for granted; if it is explicitly stated, universally known, or restates the statement, it is not a hidden assumption and is rejected.