Equivocation
LSAT glossary · Reading Comprehension
Definition
A reasoning flaw in which a key term, characteristic, or relationship is used in two different senses across the same argument, creating an illusion of logical connection where none exists. The author treats two different things — different subject matter, different characteristics, or different relational structures — as if they were the same. LSAT phrasing for this flaw: "relies on an ambiguity" or "a key term is used in two different senses."
Equivocation in plain English
Equivocation is when a word quietly changes meaning partway through an argument, so two ideas only *seem* connected. Take: "A feather is light; light things aren't dark; so a feather isn't dark" — "light" means not-heavy in the first line and not-dark in the second, so the logic is a trick, not a real link. The argument leans on that slippery double meaning to look airtight when it isn't. On the LSAT this shows up as "relies on an ambiguity" or "a key term is used in two different senses" — your job is to spot the one word doing two jobs.
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