Since logic--especially informal logic--is at the root critical thinking, it makes sense that standardized tests like the LSAT, GRE, GMAT, and SAT--which focus on critical thinking skills--would test it extensively. Therefore, it's important that you be on the lookout for logical inconsistencies as you read the complex materials on those tests.

For LSAT, GRE, and GMAT students, learning to look for and identify (and sometimes repair) logical fallacies is often easier than it is for SAT students. This isn't difficult to understand; LSAT students are preparing for a career in law, an inherently adversarial vocation. GMAT takers are preparing to become managers who will have to cope with massive amounts of sometimes-contradictory information and sort the reliable from the unreliable. In those professions, being able to discern both rationally and intuitively who is telling the truth and who is lying is a necessity as much as an asset. Even those who don't plan on practicing in the more adversarial areas of law, business, and academia often have the advantage of at least being older and more experienced (i.e., cynical) about the ways of the world.

High school students studying for the SAT, on the other hand, have quite likely never been asked--at least in an academic setting--to evaluate whether the arguments they're examining are logically solid or not. In high school, had I ever questioned the reasoning of an assigned author, I probably would have been castigated, if not punished outright. I was expected to memorize what I was assigned to read, and to repeat it back if asked on a test or in class. Analysis did not figure into the equation.

That's why, in my SAT Critical Reading classes, I like to work slowly through the passages, asking students to concentrate less on what the authors are saying, and on how they construct their arguments. Often in those classes, students miss common logical flaws simply because those flaws have never been pointed out to them.

Remember that Kaplan's critical reading method--like most Kaplan methods--may slow you down the first few times you use it. But as you become more experienced with using the methods, your speed and accuracy begin to improve dramatically. The most fundamental piece of advice I can give is this: If something seems wrong with the argument, it probably is. Don't presume that you're not following the author's logic correctly; it's equally likely that the argument is illogical, and that you'll have to recognize its flaws in order to answer the questions.

▼▽▼▼【講師】Douglas先生のバックナンバー━━━━━━━━
・【Informal Logic】2010.05.19 (Wed)

※KAPLANと国際人道支援組織JPFは、連携プロジェクトとして日本の情報発信力UP！「国際人道支援における英語力強化プロジェクト」 を行っております。

ジャパン・プラットフォーム（JPF）の田口です。 死者23万人という甚大被害をもたらしたハイチ地震から5ヶ月を迎えました。 JPF支援活動の進捗をご報告申し上げます。ちなみに、今までの進捗報告はJPFウェブからご覧いただけます。

地震発生直後から今までに、8団体が延べ12事業を完了し、現在は、4団体が衛生改善や地域FM局の再建など現地ニーズに応じた様々な支援を実施しているところです。
また、来週6月24日には、JPF常任委員会で追加3事業の審査を行う予定です。

被災地ではまだまだ支援ニーズが山積しており、JPFでは2010年12月末まで支援を展開してまいります。
引き続き皆様のご関心を寄せていただきますよう、お願い申し上げます。

ジャパン・プラットフォームはまだまだ支援活動を続けています。

▼▽▼▼【受講生】田口さんのバックナンバー━━━━━━━━
・【スマトラ地震/フィリピン水害について2】2009.12.07 (Mon)

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Posted By: 田口 圭祐 on June 28, 2010

こんにちは！KAPLAN事務局です。
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いつも応援ありがとうございます。
今日も応援クリックよろしくお願いします。
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今日はNewsweek List更新のお知らせです。

ワークショップクラス【Newsweek Lecture/Discussion】で学ぶトピックスは下記の通りです。リストではLecture/DiscussionまたはDiscussion/Readingと通しの時間表記ですが、LectureまたはDiscussion、どちらか1コマから受講が可能です。

In one of my regular classes we've been spending a couple of weeks talking about culture. This week we focused on the five stages of culture shock (http://moving.about.com/od/internationalmoves/a/culture_shock.htm), which got me thinking about how much I have changed since moving to Tokyo. I'm not actually going to talk about my process of adjusting to a new culture this time, but when I was reflecting about my process of acclimating to Japan I spent a little time considering some of the things that I like most about Japanese culture. What first came to mind was gift-giving.

The reason I thought of this first is because in recent weeks there have been a number of occasions when I have been both the giver and the receiver. But it's not the same in Japan as in the culture I come from. It's so much more complicated here! Before I lived in this country, I had never imagined such an elaborate system for what and when gifts are appropriate, how to respond properly to a gift, etc. (I can only cross my fingers that I get these things right most of the time...)

But in spite of the sometimes frustrating process that this can be for both foreigners and Japanese alike, it's one of my favorite parts of the culture. I like it because it reminds us to take time to consider others. It reminds us to be grateful. It, hopefully, reminds us of the importance of generosity. When done with the right attitude, there are a lot of ways that this exercise can develop us individually not only when it comes to etiquette but also when it comes to cultivating characteristics of thoughtfulness, selflessness, and sympathy in ourselves.

However, this issue of attitude makes all the difference. If we merely follow the cultural conventions or if we give begrudgingly, none of the aforementioned qualities would be relevant. A generous and unselfish attitude is admirable, and something that I think the world needs to see more of. So, traditions and rules aside, I'm so glad I've had the chance to learn this for myself from what I have experienced by the Japanese people in my life.
▼▽▼▼【講師】Melanie先生のバックナンバー━━━━━━━━
・【My Spring Holiday】2010.04.23 (Fri)

水曜日更新担当の講師チーム"Zen and the Art of Aptitude"から
今日は講師・Kurt先生の更新です！
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It's World Cup time again, and everybody's really supporting the Japanese team. One of the guys at Kaplan was telling me yesterday how sad he was that Japan had lost the Denmark match, but to be honest, I was unmoved.

I'm not hearing so much from home regarding the US team - while a lot of kids play soccer, it doesn't seem to appeal to Americans that much, at least as a professional sport. Few people follow the World Cup, and I'm not sure why this is so. Maybe we just like games with lots of breaks so we can hit the refrigerator, drink more beer, and go to the restroom without missing anything. It could be that the players are too small to impress us. Or perhaps we just have enough major sports of our own and don't need any more. After all, most Americans have never heard the term "American football". For us, there is no other kind!

▼▽▼▼【講師】Kurt先生のバックナンバー━━━━━━━━
・【Test Prep and Academic Success】2010.04.21 (Wed)