Principle Question Review

Principle questions (PR) are not a separate question type but are instead an
“overlay” that appears in a variety of question types.
A principle is a broad rule that specifies what actions or judgments are correct in
certain situations. The degree of generality of principles can vary considerably,
and some are much narrower than others.
Since a principle is by definition a broad rule (usually conditional in nature), the
presence of the Principle indicator serves to broaden the scope of the question.
The question becomes more abstract, and you must analyze the problem to
identify the underlying relationships. Functionally, you must take a broad,
global proposition and apply it in a specific manner, either to the answer choices
(as in a Must or Parallel question) or to the stimulus (as in a Strengthen or
Justify question).
In Must-PR questions you must use the principle presented in the stimulus and
then apply it to the situation in each answer choice (one principle applied to five
situations). The presence of the principle designation broadens the question, and
the answer choice can address a scenario not included in the stimulus.
In Strengthen-PR questions each answer choice contains a principle that acts as
an additional, broad premise that supports or proves the conclusion
(functionally, five different principles are applied to the situation in the
stimulus).
When you encounter a Principle designator in the question stem, prepare to
apply the principle to a situation that falls under the purview of the principle but
is not necessarily directly addressed by the principle. This process of abstraction
consumes more time that the average question and contributes to lengthening
the problem.