Negation Test
LSAT glossary · Logical Reasoning
Definition
The verification tool used to confirm Required Assumption answers: negate the answer choice and check whether the negation destroys the argument. If the negated version makes the conclusion unsupportable, the original choice is a required assumption. If the argument still survives when the choice is negated, the choice is not required and is wrong. The Negation Test exploits the definition of a required assumption — something the argument depends on must, when denied, cause the reasoning to collapse.
Negation Test in plain English
Some questions ask you to find the hidden thing an argument secretly leans on to work — its "required assumption." The Negation Test is a clever way to check a candidate answer: flip it to say the opposite, then ask, "Does the argument fall apart now?" If flipping it wrecks the argument, that answer really was holding the whole thing up, so it's correct; if the argument shrugs and keeps going, it wasn't essential, so it's wrong. It's like testing which cards in a house of cards are load-bearing — pull one out, and if the house collapses, that card was truly necessary.
Learn these first
Practice Negation Test
Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument?
Sign up free: all 104 LSAT terms as flashcards, plus practice questions with full explanations →
Related LSAT terms
LSAT practice questions · LSAT flashcards · LSAT study guide