Fill in the Blank questions should be approached in the same manner as any First
Family question, but the emphasis is on using contextual clues provided in the
stimulus to find the answer choice that best fits the blank.
In recent years there has been a rise in the number of questions that contain a
stimulus that ends with a blank space. The question stem asks you to fill in the
blank with an appropriate answer. While not one of the most common question
types, a Fill in the Blank question can throw off test takers who are surprised by
the unusual stimulus formation. No need to worry; these are almost always
Main Point questions in disguise (and when they are not Main Point questions
they are Must Be True questions).
The placement of the blank in the stimulus is not random—the blank is always
at the very end of the stimulus. There is a conclusion indicator at the start of the
sentence to help you recognize that you are being asked to fill in the conclusion
of the argument. In every case, you should fill the blank with the answer choice
that best represents the main point of the argument. In order to achieve this goal,
you must read the stimulus for clues revealing the direction of the argument and
the author’s intent.
First, here are some sample final sentences drawn from real LSAT questions to
give you an example of how the sentence with the blank appears:
“Therefore, __________.”
“Hence, in the new century, the stability of a nation’s cultural identity
will likely __________.”
“Thus, in many cases, by criminals’ characterization of their
situations, __________.”
As you can see, each sentence above begins with a conclusion indicator that
modifies the blank. This is the signal that you must supply the conclusion.
Now, take a look at a complete question from the June 2002 LSAT in order to
get a better sense of how to analyze the stimulus for contextual clues.
Please take a moment to complete the following problem:
Question- Psychologist: Although studies of young children
have revealed important facts about the
influence of the environment on language
acquisition, it is clear that one cannot attribute
such acquisition solely to environmental
influences: innate mechanisms also play a role.
So, the most reasonable question that ought to
be studied is whether _____________.
Which one of the following most logically completes
the passage?
(A) language acquisition can ever be fully
explained
(B) innate mechanisms are a contributing factor in
language learning
(C) language acquisition is solely the product of
innate mechanisms
(D) parents and peers are the most important
influence on a child’s learning of a language
(E) innate mechanisms play a more important role
in language acquisition than a child’s
immediate environment
The single sentence prior to the last sentence is lengthy and contains the
information required to fill in the blank at the end of the question. The argument
topic is language acquisition; the author indicates that “one cannot attribute such
acquisition solely to environmental influences” and then immediately follows
that phrase by saying “innate mechanisms also play a role.” Hence, the author
feels that both environment and innate mechanisms play a role. The last
sentence then prefaces the blank by saying, “the most reasonable question that
ought to be studied is whether __________.” The most logical answer would be
one that addresses the relative roles played by environment and innate
mechanisms in language acquisition. Let’s examine the answer choices:
Answer choice (A): The argument is not about whether language acquisition
can ever be explained, but about what influences exist on language acquisition
and to what degree.
Answer choice (B): The psychologist asserts this statement at the end of the first
sentence and if this were a Must Be True question, this would be the correct
answer. But, this is more than a Must Be True question and the correct answer
must meet the Main Point criterion. So, although this answer choice is true
according to the psychologist, it does not capture the point of the argument as
indicated by the last sentence and is therefore incorrect.
Answer choice (C): The argument does not attempt to establish that language
acquisition is solely the product of innate mechanisms, but that innate
mechanisms have some influence, as does environment. This answer choice
tries to confuse test takers by going in the opposite direction of the
psychologist’s statement that “one cannot contribute such acquisition solely to
environmental influences.” This does not mean that we can therefore attribute
such acquisition solely to innate mechanisms.
Answer choice (D): “Parents and peers” would qualify as environmental
influences and the argument is not about determining if the environmental
influence is the most important factor, but about the relative roles played by
environment and innate mechanisms in language acquisition.
Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer, and this is the only answer that
addresses the relative roles of environment and innate mechanisms. Note that
the language of the answer choice could have indicated that either play a greater
role because what ought to be studied is a question that determines which is a
greater influence.
Family question, but the emphasis is on using contextual clues provided in the
stimulus to find the answer choice that best fits the blank.
In recent years there has been a rise in the number of questions that contain a
stimulus that ends with a blank space. The question stem asks you to fill in the
blank with an appropriate answer. While not one of the most common question
types, a Fill in the Blank question can throw off test takers who are surprised by
the unusual stimulus formation. No need to worry; these are almost always
Main Point questions in disguise (and when they are not Main Point questions
they are Must Be True questions).
The placement of the blank in the stimulus is not random—the blank is always
at the very end of the stimulus. There is a conclusion indicator at the start of the
sentence to help you recognize that you are being asked to fill in the conclusion
of the argument. In every case, you should fill the blank with the answer choice
that best represents the main point of the argument. In order to achieve this goal,
you must read the stimulus for clues revealing the direction of the argument and
the author’s intent.
First, here are some sample final sentences drawn from real LSAT questions to
give you an example of how the sentence with the blank appears:
“Therefore, __________.”
“Hence, in the new century, the stability of a nation’s cultural identity
will likely __________.”
“Thus, in many cases, by criminals’ characterization of their
situations, __________.”
As you can see, each sentence above begins with a conclusion indicator that
modifies the blank. This is the signal that you must supply the conclusion.
Now, take a look at a complete question from the June 2002 LSAT in order to
get a better sense of how to analyze the stimulus for contextual clues.
Please take a moment to complete the following problem:
Question- Psychologist: Although studies of young children
have revealed important facts about the
influence of the environment on language
acquisition, it is clear that one cannot attribute
such acquisition solely to environmental
influences: innate mechanisms also play a role.
So, the most reasonable question that ought to
be studied is whether _____________.
Which one of the following most logically completes
the passage?
(A) language acquisition can ever be fully
explained
(B) innate mechanisms are a contributing factor in
language learning
(C) language acquisition is solely the product of
innate mechanisms
(D) parents and peers are the most important
influence on a child’s learning of a language
(E) innate mechanisms play a more important role
in language acquisition than a child’s
immediate environment
The single sentence prior to the last sentence is lengthy and contains the
information required to fill in the blank at the end of the question. The argument
topic is language acquisition; the author indicates that “one cannot attribute such
acquisition solely to environmental influences” and then immediately follows
that phrase by saying “innate mechanisms also play a role.” Hence, the author
feels that both environment and innate mechanisms play a role. The last
sentence then prefaces the blank by saying, “the most reasonable question that
ought to be studied is whether __________.” The most logical answer would be
one that addresses the relative roles played by environment and innate
mechanisms in language acquisition. Let’s examine the answer choices:
Answer choice (A): The argument is not about whether language acquisition
can ever be explained, but about what influences exist on language acquisition
and to what degree.
Answer choice (B): The psychologist asserts this statement at the end of the first
sentence and if this were a Must Be True question, this would be the correct
answer. But, this is more than a Must Be True question and the correct answer
must meet the Main Point criterion. So, although this answer choice is true
according to the psychologist, it does not capture the point of the argument as
indicated by the last sentence and is therefore incorrect.
Answer choice (C): The argument does not attempt to establish that language
acquisition is solely the product of innate mechanisms, but that innate
mechanisms have some influence, as does environment. This answer choice
tries to confuse test takers by going in the opposite direction of the
psychologist’s statement that “one cannot contribute such acquisition solely to
environmental influences.” This does not mean that we can therefore attribute
such acquisition solely to innate mechanisms.
Answer choice (D): “Parents and peers” would qualify as environmental
influences and the argument is not about determining if the environmental
influence is the most important factor, but about the relative roles played by
environment and innate mechanisms in language acquisition.
Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer, and this is the only answer that
addresses the relative roles of environment and innate mechanisms. Note that
the language of the answer choice could have indicated that either play a greater
role because what ought to be studied is a question that determines which is a
greater influence.
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