Premise Indicators
LSAT glossary · Law School Admission Test (LSAT)
Definition
Words and phrases that reliably signal a premise — a statement offered as evidence for the conclusion. The standard list includes "because," "since," "for," "after all," "given that," "as indicated by," "the reason is that," "this is evidenced by," and "for the reason that." When such a word precedes a claim, that claim is being offered as support, not as the main point.
Premise Indicators in plain English
Premise indicators are the mirror image of conclusion indicators: they flag a REASON rather than the main point. Words like 'because,' 'since,' 'for,' 'after all,' 'given that,' 'as indicated by,' 'the reason is that,' and 'this is evidenced by' all whisper 'what comes next is support, not the headline.' So if you see 'since the store closes at nine,' you know that fact is being offered as evidence for some other claim. Learning to spot these instantly is how you slice an argument into its parts — evidence on one side, main point on the other.
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