Missing Link
LSAT glossary · Logical Reasoning
Definition
Pattern: Premises give: A →B and C →D. Conclusion claims: A →D. The gap: We need B →C (or equivalently, its contrapositive ¬C →¬B) to complete the chain: A →B →C →D.
Missing Link in plain English
Many arguments quietly skip a step in a chain of reasoning, and the "Missing Link" is that skipped step. Suppose you're told "if A then B" and "if C then D," and the argument concludes "if A then D" — but nothing ever connected B to C, so the chain has a broken link in the middle. To make it work, you need the bridge "if B then C," which lets you slide smoothly from A to B to C to D. Think of stepping stones across a creek: you can reach the far bank only if every stone touches the next one, and the missing link is the gap where a stone should be.
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