The word “proposition” or “precept” can be used in place of “principle.”
Be careful of question stemsusing the word “conform.” Sometimes they ask if the
stimulus conforms (which is a Strengthen-PR question) but other times they ask if the answer choice conforms (which is generally a Must-PR question).
Principle questions (PR) are not a separate question type but are instead an
“overlay” that appears in a variety of question types. For example, there are
Strengthen Principle questions (Strengthen-PR), Justify Principle questions
(Justify-PR), and Cannot Be True Principle questions (Cannot-PR), among
others. In a question stem, the key indicator that the Principle concept is present
is the word “principle.” Here are several examples of Principle question stems:
“Which one of the following judgments most closely conforms to the
principle above?” (Must-PR)
“Which one of the following judgments best illustrates the principle
illustrated by the argument above?” (Must-PR)
“The principle above, if established, would justify which one of the
following judgments?” (Must-PR)
“Which one of the following principles most helps to justify the
reasoning above?” (Strengthen-PR)
“The information above most closely conforms to which one of the
following principles?” (Strengthen-PR)
“Which one of the following most accurately expresses the principle
underlying the argumentation above?” (Justify-PR)
“Each of the following principles is logically consistent with the
columnist’s conclusion EXCEPT:” (Cannot-PR)
A principle is a broad rule that specifies what actions or judgments are correct in
certain situations. For example, “Some companies are profitable” is not a
principle because no rule is involved and no judgment can be drawn from the
statement. “All companies should strive to be profitable” is a principle, and one
that can be applied to any company.
The degree of generality of principles can vary considerably, and some are
much narrower than others. For example, “Children at Smith Elementary
School must wear uniforms” is a principle restricted to children attending Smith.
The principle does not apply to a child attending a different school. On the other
hand, the principle “Any person of voting age has an obligation to vote” applies
to a large number of people regardless of background, education, wealth, etc.
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).
Because principles must retain broad applicability and must typically meet a condition
to apply, they are often conditional statements. However, there are exceptions,
such as with causal principles.
Be careful of question stemsusing the word “conform.” Sometimes they ask if the
stimulus conforms (which is a Strengthen-PR question) but other times they ask if the answer choice conforms (which is generally a Must-PR question).
Principle questions (PR) are not a separate question type but are instead an
“overlay” that appears in a variety of question types. For example, there are
Strengthen Principle questions (Strengthen-PR), Justify Principle questions
(Justify-PR), and Cannot Be True Principle questions (Cannot-PR), among
others. In a question stem, the key indicator that the Principle concept is present
is the word “principle.” Here are several examples of Principle question stems:
“Which one of the following judgments most closely conforms to the
principle above?” (Must-PR)
“Which one of the following judgments best illustrates the principle
illustrated by the argument above?” (Must-PR)
“The principle above, if established, would justify which one of the
following judgments?” (Must-PR)
“Which one of the following principles most helps to justify the
reasoning above?” (Strengthen-PR)
“The information above most closely conforms to which one of the
following principles?” (Strengthen-PR)
“Which one of the following most accurately expresses the principle
underlying the argumentation above?” (Justify-PR)
“Each of the following principles is logically consistent with the
columnist’s conclusion EXCEPT:” (Cannot-PR)
A principle is a broad rule that specifies what actions or judgments are correct in
certain situations. For example, “Some companies are profitable” is not a
principle because no rule is involved and no judgment can be drawn from the
statement. “All companies should strive to be profitable” is a principle, and one
that can be applied to any company.
The degree of generality of principles can vary considerably, and some are
much narrower than others. For example, “Children at Smith Elementary
School must wear uniforms” is a principle restricted to children attending Smith.
The principle does not apply to a child attending a different school. On the other
hand, the principle “Any person of voting age has an obligation to vote” applies
to a large number of people regardless of background, education, wealth, etc.
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).
Because principles must retain broad applicability and must typically meet a condition
to apply, they are often conditional statements. However, there are exceptions,
such as with causal principles.
