Question Stem Classification Drill

[DumbNerd415]

Hey all,

I am struggling with the drill and it is frustrating the hell out of me. I haven't had that "Aha!" moment and got nearly every problem wrong. What can I do to better grasp this section? There are so many charts to pay attention to. The flow of true-to-false and false-to-true. My intuition just isn't there. Anybody have similar issues or know of any solutions?

Best

[Jonathan Evans]

Hi, DN,

I understand there's a lot to absorb with the question classifications, the truth and falsity, and the negations.

Try starting with the global/local identification. Since you already have some practice with this from the previous drill, zero in on that narrow question to get off to the right start with these questions.

After you've determined whether each question is global or local, move on to the truth characteristic of each question. There are four possibilities:

• Must Be True
• Could Be True
• Not Necessarily True
• Cannot Be True

For instance, consider question 4. Zero in on the truth characteristic: "cannot be false"

What does it mean if something "cannot be false?" That means it has to be true. It must be true.

This might be a key step for you: when you identify the truth characteristic, talk yourself through it. Describe what the phrase means. Use your own language.

Once you are satisfied that you have ID'd global/local and the truth characteristic, repeat the process above for the logical opposites.

Keep it simple; add the word "not" in front of the truth characteristic and start from there. Look at question 4 again. We've determined it's "must be true." Let's do the negation: "not must be true"

What does it mean if something is "not must be true?" It doesn't have to be true. If it doesn't have to be true, it's "not necessarily true."

Go slowly at first through these exercises. It's not all about memorization. It's about taking ownership of these concepts so you can describe what's going on quickly and accurately.

To recap:

1. ID the question type.
2. Determine the truth characteristic.
3. Determine the negation.

Don't get overwhelmed. Tackle these one step at a time. If you have questions about any of the individual problems, please reply below.

I hope this helps!