What does it mean to 'strengthen' an argument?

To add information that makes the conclusion more likely or better supported, e.g., by confirming an assumption or ruling out alternative explanations.

What does it mean to 'weaken' an argument?

To add information that makes the conclusion less likely, e.g., by attacking an assumption, providing a counterexample, or offering an alternative cause.

What is the single most effective way to weaken a causal argument (A causes B)?

Present an alternative cause for B, or show B occurs without A, or that A occurs without B, breaking the proposed causal link.

Why does an answer choice that is 'out of scope' neither strengthen nor weaken an argument?

Because it does not bear on the argument's premises, assumption, or conclusion; irrelevant information leaves the argument's strength unchanged.

In strengthen/weaken questions, what is the role of identifying the assumption first?

Most strengtheners support the assumption and most weakeners attack it; pinpointing the assumption tells you exactly what to confirm or undermine.

What is the standard form of an 'if-then' (conditional) statement and its parts?

'If P, then Q.' P is the antecedent (sufficient condition); Q is the consequent (necessary condition).

In 'If P then Q', what does P being a 'sufficient' condition mean?

P guarantees Q: whenever P is true, Q must be true. P is enough to ensure Q.

In 'If P then Q', what does Q being a 'necessary' condition mean?

Q is required for P: P cannot be true unless Q is true. Without Q, P is impossible.

Given 'If P then Q', what is the valid inference called 'modus ponens'?

If P is true, then Q is true. (Affirm the antecedent to conclude the consequent.)

Given 'If P then Q', what is the valid inference called 'modus tollens'?

If Q is false (not Q), then P is false (not P). (Deny the consequent to deny the antecedent.)

🇵🇰 NTS NAT-IE · flashcards

NTS NAT-IE Analytical Reasoning Flashcards

59 question-and-answer cards covering Analytical Reasoning as it is examined in NTS NAT-IE. 24 of them are printed below, taken from across the deck — no signup, no paywall on the preview.

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24 sample cards from the Analytical Reasoning deck

Sampled from the end of the deck, so these are different cards from the ones shown on the syllabus page.

What does it mean to 'strengthen' an argument?
To add information that makes the conclusion more likely or better supported, e.g., by confirming an assumption or ruling out alternative explanations.
What does it mean to 'weaken' an argument?
To add information that makes the conclusion less likely, e.g., by attacking an assumption, providing a counterexample, or offering an alternative cause.
What is the single most effective way to weaken a causal argument (A causes B)?
Present an alternative cause for B, or show B occurs without A, or that A occurs without B, breaking the proposed causal link.
Why does an answer choice that is 'out of scope' neither strengthen nor weaken an argument?
Because it does not bear on the argument's premises, assumption, or conclusion; irrelevant information leaves the argument's strength unchanged.
In strengthen/weaken questions, what is the role of identifying the assumption first?
Most strengtheners support the assumption and most weakeners attack it; pinpointing the assumption tells you exactly what to confirm or undermine.
What is the standard form of an 'if-then' (conditional) statement and its parts?
'If P, then Q.' P is the antecedent (sufficient condition); Q is the consequent (necessary condition).
In 'If P then Q', what does P being a 'sufficient' condition mean?
P guarantees Q: whenever P is true, Q must be true. P is enough to ensure Q.
In 'If P then Q', what does Q being a 'necessary' condition mean?
Q is required for P: P cannot be true unless Q is true. Without Q, P is impossible.
Given 'If P then Q', what is the valid inference called 'modus ponens'?
If P is true, then Q is true. (Affirm the antecedent to conclude the consequent.)
Given 'If P then Q', what is the valid inference called 'modus tollens'?
If Q is false (not Q), then P is false (not P). (Deny the consequent to deny the antecedent.)
Why are 'affirming the consequent' (Q therefore P) and 'denying the antecedent' (not P therefore not Q) invalid?
Because 'If P then Q' does not say Q only comes from P; Q can be true for other reasons and P can be false while Q is still true. Both are formal fallacies.
In logic, what does the inclusive 'OR' (P or Q) mean, and when is it false?
Inclusive OR is true when at least one of P, Q is true (possibly both); it is false only when both P and Q are false.
What does 'AND' (P and Q) require for the whole statement to be true?
Both P and Q must be true simultaneously; if either is false, 'P and Q' is false.
How is 'P unless Q' translated into if-then form?
'P unless Q' means 'If not Q, then P' (equivalently 'P or Q'). Unless introduces the condition under which P need not hold.
State the contrapositive of 'If P then Q', and what is true about its truth value?
The contrapositive is 'If not Q, then not P.' It is logically equivalent to the original and always has the same truth value.
What are the converse and inverse of 'If P then Q', and are they equivalent to the original?
Converse: 'If Q then P.' Inverse: 'If not P then not Q.' Neither is equivalent to the original, but the converse and inverse are equivalent to each other.
State De Morgan's Laws for negating AND/OR statements.
not(P and Q) = (not P) or (not Q); not(P or Q) = (not P) and (not Q). Negation flips AND to OR and negates each part.
How do you negate the statement 'All X are Y'?
Its negation is 'Some X are not Y' (at least one X is not Y). The negation of a universal is a particular.
How do you negate 'Some X are Y'?
Its negation is 'No X are Y' (equivalently 'All X are not Y').
When reading a data table, what should you check first before answering questions?
Read the title, row and column headers, and the units of measurement to know exactly what each value represents.
In a table/chart problem, how do you compute percentage change between two values?
Percentage change = [(New value - Old value) / Old value] x 100.
What does a pie chart represent, and how do you convert a sector to a value?
A pie chart shows parts of a whole as percentages/angles of 360 degrees. Value of a sector = (sector's percentage / 100) x total, or (sector angle / 360) x total.
In a bar chart versus a line graph, what is each best suited to show?
Bar charts compare discrete categories/quantities; line graphs show trends or change over a continuous variable such as time.
When comparing two quantities in a chart, what is the difference between 'ratio' and 'percentage of'?
Ratio expresses A to B as A:B (or A/B). 'A as a percentage of B' = (A / B) x 100, expressing A relative to B as a percent.

What this deck covers

The Analytical Reasoning deck follows the NTS NAT-IE Analytical Reasoning syllabus — 4 chapters and 14 topics — so questions land on material that is genuinely examinable rather than trivia around it. That works out to roughly 14.8 cards per chapter.

Answers are written to be recallable, not just readable — averaging about 116 characters, which is long enough to carry the reasoning and short enough to say out loud.

A deck like this earns its keep on the second and third pass. Read the syllabus first so you know the shape of the subject, then use the cards to find the specific facts that have not stuck.

Analytical Reasoning flashcards FAQ

How many Analytical Reasoning flashcards are in this NTS NAT-IE deck?

59 cards. This page previews 24 of them, sampled evenly across the deck so you can judge the difficulty before installing anything.

Are these NTS NAT-IE flashcards free?

Yes. The preview here is free to read with no signup, and the full 59-card deck is free inside the Examius app.

What do the Analytical Reasoning cards cover?

They follow the NTS NAT-IE Analytical Reasoning syllabus — 4 chapters and 14 topics — so the questions track what is actually examinable.

How should I use these flashcards?

Read the syllabus first so you know the shape of the subject, then drill the deck. Examius schedules each card with spaced repetition, so cards you keep missing come back sooner and ones you know drift further apart.