Read the Fine Print

One of the purposes of the LSAT is to test how closely you read. This is
obviously an important skill for lawyers (who wants a lawyer who makes a
critical mistake on a big contract?). One of the ways the LSAT tests whether
you have this skill is to probe your knowledge of exactly what the author said.
Because of this, you must read all parts of a problem incredibly closely, and
you must pay special attention to words that describe the relationships under
discussion. For example, if an author concludes, “Therefore, the refinery can
achieve a greater operating efficiency,” do not make the mistake of thinking
the author implied that greater operating efficiency will or must be achieved.
The LSAT makers love to examine your comprehension of the exact words
used by the author, and that leads to the fourth Primary Objective:
Primary Objective #4: Read closely and know precisely what
the author said. Do not generalize!
When it comes to relationships, the makers of the LSAT have a wide variety of
modifiers in their arsenal. The following are two lists of words that should be
noted when they appear, regardless of whether they appear in the premises or
conclusion.
Quantity Indicators                     Probability Indicators
all                                              must
every                                            will
most                                            always
many                                            not always
some                                            probably
several                                           likely
few                                              should
sole                                              would
only                                              not necessarily
not all                                            could
none                                              rarely
never
Quantity indicators refer to the amount or quantity in the relationship, such as
“some people” or “many of the laws.” Probability indicators refer to the
likelihood of occurrence, or the obligation present, as in “The Mayor should
resign” or “The law will never pass.” Many of the terms fit with negatives to
form an opposing idea, for example, “some are not” or “would not.”
Words such as the Quantity and Probability Indicators are critical because they
are a ripe area for the LSAT makers to exploit. There are numerous examples
of incorrect answer choices that attempted to capitalize on the meaning of a
single word in the stimulus and thus you must commit yourself to carefully
examining every word on the test.